20 Ideas To Get Your Children More Active

Posted by Christie in Daily Life

The average kid today watches 4 hours of television a day!  That adds up to 1,023 a year doing nothing but sitting and watching their favorite shows and cartoons.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit that time to half that, 1-2 hours of quality programming a day. 

I allow my children to only watch 1 hour of television on a normal day and the rest of the time I am challenging us all to be more active and get off the couch. 

I thought I would share with you some ideas for activities that your family can do together to get your children more active when the television is turned off in your home. 

♦ Take a walk together around your neighborhood.

♦ Walk your dog together

♦ Plant a vegetable garden at your home and have the kids help you take care of it.

♦ Go to a local museum or historic site and take a tour

♦ Take a trip to the zoo and walk around looking at the animals.

♦ Go on a bike ride as a family

♦ Go swimming as a family

♦ Join the local YMCA and get involved in kids programs, classes, and teams

♦ Encourage kids to participate in a physical activity like soccer, karate, gymnastics, or other sports.

♦ Have kids help you do house work to get active. They may not be too excited about this one.

♦ Turn on some fun music and dance with your kids at home.

♦ Jump Rope with your kids

♦ Challenge your kids to a race in your yard.

♦ Take your kids roller skating at a local rink or in your driveway.

♦ Play catch in the yard with your kids.

♦ Play tag in the yard with your kids.

♦ Let kids help with outside house and yard work.

♦ Do Yoga with your kids

♦ Do kids aerobic videos together

♦ Go for a nature hike together.

These are just twenty of the many simple ways that we can get more active as a family.  Find a few that you think your kids might enjoy, turn off your TV, and give them a try. 

Keep in mind that doctors recommend a daily minium of 30 minutes of activity for adults and 60 minutes for kids to stay healthy!  Also remember that being a healthy example for your children is one of the best things that you can do for them to ensure that they grow up to continue healthy habits.



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