Physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle for kids. Unfortunately, encouraging kids to be active can be a struggle as we compete with screens that hold their attention indoors.
Not only is exercise great for kid’s health and physical development, but it also comes with a whole list of other perks. It can increase cognitive function, improve social skills and self-esteem, and will set them up with healthy attitudes and habits surrounding exercise for their adult lives.
If you’re worried that your kids aren’t getting enough exercise, there are plenty of ways to encourage physical activity. Here are a few physical activities for kids that will get them moving.
Team Sports
Joining team sports is a great way for your kids to get some exercise on a weekly basis. Kids sporting teams are often run by the school or local community, which means that your child likely has a few friends already in a sporting team. This social aspect can help motivate them to sign up, and the teamwork involved will positively impact their social skills and self-esteem while they get some exercise.
Try Something New
If your child isn’t a fan of team sports, it’s time for you to get creative. There are so many physical activities that your kid could love, it will just take some trial and error to find the right one. Try something new and different such as rock climbing, dance, or swimming and you might just find your child’s favourite new hobby that’s great for their health.
Family Activities
Having a sport or physical activity that your child loves is great, but they will need more exercise than one training session a week to lead a healthy lifestyle. This is where family physical activity comes in. Lead by example and encourage your kids to engage in physical activity with the family. This could be going on hikes or bike rides, heading to the playground or beach on weekends, or just playing tag in the backyard at home.
Encourage Everything Active
Kids have a lot of energy, so encouraging them to be active whenever they can is a good thing. This could be walking to school instead of driving, or going for a scooter or bike ride with friends after school. To encourage this type of physical activity, it helps to limit how much indoor play and screen time your kids have. Maybe make a rule where they get no screen time on weeknights, or until dark, encouraging them to play outside in an active way.
Physical activity for kids is crucial to their development and overall health. To encourage your kids to take part in physical activity, it’s important to make it a positive and enjoyable part of their day instead of a chore. You can do this by finding the physical activity they enjoy most and encouraging an active lifestyle in day to day life.
Orly Muscat is the owner and director of Coastal Babysitters where she connects families to Brisbane Babysitters, Gold Coast Babysitters and Byron Baby Babysitters
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