Help your children form healthy habits for life and improve their school performance by making activity part of your family life. Most active kids have active parents and families, so it’s important to model the behavior for them. Make sure it’s fun, and really integrated into your life, not forced.
Ideas to try:
- Plan physical games into the day, whether it’s a relay race or dancing.
- If you have enough people, organize a team sport at a nearby school athletic field or in the backyard.
- Map out local errands and do them by foot or bike. The more people who go, the more you can carry.
- Give every member of the family a pedometer and track your steps. Consider monthly prizes for the top stepper. Their prize can be choosing the next family activity!!
- Simply play together for 30 minutes, three times a week. Try hopscotch, jumping rope, playing hide-and-seek or even climbing rocks.
- Take a short hike.
- Give the yard its spring touchup by raking, piling rocks, digging flower beds, or planting a vegetable garden.
- Do household chores to your favorite songs.