Exercise should be fun, and it should be something your kids want to do. However, we most often turn it into a competition or an annoying task that has no joy in it, and that can turn kids away from exercising for the rest of their lives! But you know your little ones need to stay active, and exercise is the best way to stay healthy and strong – what are you to do?!
Make exercise fun again! Make it something your kids look forward to doing, and never feel like they simply ‘have’ to do it. And to help you manage that, we’ve listed some tips below that’ll keep your kids loving the fitness lifestyle.
Make it a Game
Everyone loves playing games! And if your child tends to hate exercising, and you’re concerned about needing to take them to a Pediatric Chiropractor in the near future, be sure to turn exercise into a game everyone can play regardless of their skill level. Younger and older kids alike need to be able to take part, and that can often exclude kids from taking part in physical activities.
To avoid this, keep the games simple but replayable, such as a game of hide and seek or playground games that use hula hoops and beanbags. Fill up water balloons, kick a ball around, or get tennis bats out – having some simple equipment available can always lead to a fun game kicking off!
Make Space for Physical Activities
If you can’t go outside, as you don’t have a garden or simply not enough space within it, you’ll just have to make space for physical activities indoors instead. So push back the sofas and the coffee table, and even cover the TV if you’re worried about breakages – it’s time to exercise inside and have some fun while you do it!
Exercising indoors is also incredibly easy; use your whole house if need be to provide a sort-of obstacle course for the kids, or choose to contain activities to one room, it’s entirely up to you. Put some music on to get the kids up and moving, and then introduce that simple game concept once again. If you’re leading by example here, they’re far more likely to remain interested!
Always Play with Them!
Finally, if you’re physically able to, always be a part of the games and activities your kids come up with. As we’ve stated, if you’re involved they will love to take part too, and you can all get a bit of exercise in as a family.
So stand up and lead the charge, or set them loose to chase you or go around and collect things for you – whatever activity sounds fun to do today, the kids will love spending time going crazy when Mom or Dad is involved too. You’ll make some pretty sweet memories to look back on!
Exercise needs to be fun to encourage kids to take part. Keep it simple and take part yourself.
