• Christianne Kania

Eight ways to encourage children to keep active!

We all know how important regular physical activity is for our health and well-being, and the impact it can have on our bodies and minds; however, we also agree that it can be tough to keep children inspired and motivated to keep active too! With this in mind, we’ve put together a few hints and tips to hopefully help you along the way…

  • Get fit as a family – Make fitness fun and involve the whole family at the same time! You might want to simply take a stroll at the park to get some fresh air, practice headstands or even get a bit of a competition going by setting up a skipping rope or hula hoop tournament!
  • Make it enjoyable – Try and encourage your children to partake in activities which excite them; whether that’s playing rounders, attending a dance class or joining a cricket club.
  • Be a role model – You’re more likely to motivate those around you by leading an active lifestyle yourself. Even more so if you emphasise how great you feel afterwards!
  • Encourage your children to socialise - Invite your children’s friends around for lunch or dinner and encourage them to take part in activities or games before serving up a nutritious home-cooked meal.
  • Inspire them to earn their keep – We know it might sound like bribery, however, getting your children to help with the gardening or wash the cars with you will not only keep them moving, it’ll also encourage them to want to earn their treats whilst helping you out too!
  • Be a cheerleader – Try your best to show your children support whenever they’re partaking in a team sport or at a sports day. They’ll know you’re watching so they’ll be more likely to want to impress you and make you proud!
  • Plan ahead – Make sure you try to incorporate exercise at relevant times for your child. In the summertime, take advantage of the light evenings and during the winter, opt for more weekend activities.
  • Be realistic – A lot of children like their screen time, so we do need to take this into account. If this is the case in your household, try to encourage short breaks involving some movement and stretching to help with posture and to prevent inactivity.