(HealthNewsDigest.com) – For many children, the school day offers limited options for physical activity, and evenings are spent with homework and video games. To keep your kids active, try these ideas:
- Be silly. Let younger children see how much fun you can have while being physically active. Run like a gorilla. Walk like a spider. Hop like a bunny.
- Schedule game time. Play catch, get the whole family involved in a game of tag or have a rope-jumping contest.
- Make chores a friendly challenge. Who can pull the most weeds in the garden? Who can collect the most litter around the neighborhood?
- Try an activity party. For your child’s next birthday, schedule a bowling party, take the kids to a climbing wall or set up relay races in the backyard.
- Put your kids in charge. Let each child take a turn choosing the physical activity of the day or week. The key is to find things that your children like to do.
- Explore nontraditional sports. Instead of baseball or basketball, look into activities such as badminton, dance, ice skating or martial arts.
- Ask your school about access to intramural sports programs. If the school doesn’t offer them, encourage the administration to do so, and offer ideas on how you can get such programs started.
Bonus tip: Don’t forget to get in the game yourself! If you set the example, it’s more likely that everyone else will join in.
