Ideas to get your kids moving
How often did you hear “go on out to play” when you were growing up? For some reason, maybe because parents aren’t getting outside as much, this is no longer the parental refrain. Indoor “sports” like watching television, playing on the computer and listening to music are not bad, but they become bad when there’s no balance with blood-pumping activity outside. Our bodies need to move – they’re built for that. Too much sedentary activity leads to a sluggish metabolism which leads to all sorts of physical problems and if this starts young it’s a very hard cycle to break. Get your kids moving – and why not move with them. Kids actually love doing things with their parents, believe it or not!
Stuck for ideas? Some things require nothing more than your imagination. But take a look at this great web site: Body and Mind, or BAM!, to get your imagination revved: www.BAM.gov
- Walk your dog - but do it together with little ones
- For older kids, check with neighbors to see if they need their dog walked
- Plan and take a hike at a local trail
- Play Catch
- Ride your bike – see how many times you can make it back and forth on your own driveway or street... Improve the number each month!
- Each season brings it’s own opportunities, depending where you live
- Fall – rake the leaves
- Spring – pick up sticks and branches in the yard
- Summer – weed the gardens, water the flowers
- Winter – shovel snow, help a neighbor out too!
- Play Hide and Seek
- Wash your parents car
- Toss a Frisbee
- Jump Rope
- Wash the dog – oh yeah!
- Walk or ride a bike to school - with your parents permission, of course
- Have everyone in the family wear a pedometer and have a daily challenge to see who can take the most steps
- Clean your room, and maybe help your brother or sister do theirs too! (Play music while you do it – makes it way more fun!)
- Play soccer
- Put on your bathing suit and run through the sprinkler – better yet, go down a slippy slide
- Do jumping jacks
- Start a relay race challenge with the neighborhood. Then have a finale relay race at the end of the summer.
- Learn to dance
- more, more, more – just get outside!