Activity & Excercise |
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Family Fun |
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Family Fun
Exercising as a family not only
strengthens ties between parent and child, but also makes
regular physical fitness a priority for a lifetime.
Try these 10 tips to successfully combine fitness
time and family time:
1. Let the kids choose
the activity.
Children need (and want) to see fitness as a fun activity, not just another
task. Some children prefer to be on a team, while others are more comfortable
being on their own or in a small group. Don't push your child into anything
he or she does not want to do - try to steer them in a direction that suits
their temperament, talents, and interests.
2. Encourage teamwork, not competition.
Many children feel uncomfortable in a competitive atmosphere, even within a
family. Being active together can provide the perfect opportunity for a family
to work as a team.
3. Aim for consistency.
Encourage your children to start a regular fitness routine, such as biking
with friends after school, hiking with the family on the weekend, and being
involved in group sports activities.
4. Provide positive feedback.
There is nothing more important than providing children with positive encouragement,
both verbally and physically. No matter what their level of skill, help them
see fitness as fun and enjoyable.
5. Be a health role model.
The best way to motivate your children is to set a healthy example yourself.
6. Use exercise as a bargaining
tool.
Physical activity not only burns calories and builds muscle and bone, it also
helps develop discipline. Making exercise part of your daily routine requires
prioritizing and the creation of new habits. Reward work well done.
7. Assign physically challenging
chores.
Yard work, dog walking, vacuuming, putting away the groceries, taking the trash
cans to the curb, and helping with easy home maintenance activities are just
a few examples of chores that not only teach structure and time management
skills, but that also will work up a sweat.
8. Organize family vacations around physical
activities.
When you take vacations, visit places that will provide your family with built
in fitness possibilities with a focus on the outdoors. The options are endless!
9. Reduce access to sedentary lifestyle enablers.
Place limits on television or computer time. Family time spent around the television
is not quality fellowship together. If you don't want to get rid of the television
all together, watch with your child for a set period of time before turning
it off. Create media- and electronic-free zones in the bedrooms, monitor television
programming, and keep children under the age of two from watching, as recommended
by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
10. Revive the walk to school.
If you live close enough to your child's school, try walking instead of hopping
in your car. You could form a daily or weekly walking group consisting of your
child's neighborhood friends and their parent(s)—making the trip not only
healthful but also fun.
Parents around the world have been successful in developing scheduled Walking
School Bus programs in which adults escort children walking to and from school.
The "human bus" stops at designated pick-up spots so students can "board." Students
are accompanied by an adult "driver" as well as a "conductor" at
the rear of the "bus." Millions participate in the annual international
I Walk to School week.
Try some of these fun
physical activities.
- Rent a canoe or raft and row around in a local lake or river
- Organize a softball game in the park—your children will especially love
it if you serve a picnic lunch afterward
- Check out a new hiking trail
- Look at bugs and worms
- Play badminton
- Fly a kite
- Pick spring flowers and take them to an elderly friend or neighbor
- Toss a frisbee
- Go inline skating
- Help an older neighbor get their garden ready for planting
- Fish
- Host a Maypole celebration or Easter egg hunt
- Play in the mud
- Visit the zoo
- Chase butterflies
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