How to Help your Child get Active

18th May 2015

With an estimated one third of UK children now classed as overweight, and with one third of parents saying they worry about their child’s weight, it raises the question: how can I help keep my child fit, healthy and active?

Here at Tiny World we understand the importance of regular exercise for children, as part of an overall healthy lifestyle. So let’s take a closer look at why we should be encouraging our children to get active and the ways in which we can introduce this into their lifestyle.

Why is it important to keep your child active?

If being active is something you struggle with yourself, it can be difficult to encourage your own children to be active. The younger they are the more active they tend to be, however the older they get, the harder it can be to persuade them to move around, as they might prefer to just stay in and watch TV! But here are some of the main reasons why being active from a young age is so important:

Helps weight control
Sleep better
Improved well-being
Better moods
Can lead to a whole lifestyle of activeness
Stronger bones and muscle
Improved self-esteem

What sorts of things can your child do?

If you’re reading this knowing your child is guilty of couch potato syndrome, then it’s all about finding the right things to get them moving.

We’ve created a list below of some simple ways you can introduce exercise into your child’s lifestyle, but obviously, you know your child better than us. If socialising with other kids isn’t their strong point, then stay away from things such as joining new clubs. Forcing them into doing something they really don’t want to do could backfire on what you were trying to achieve in the first place!

Walking to school

If your child’s school is local to where you live, then you should ditch the car and start encouraging them to walk to school,or walk with them if they are primary age. If your child prefers to ride their bike they could do this as an alternative. This is a great way to incorporate exercise into your everyday lifestyle.

Playing in the park/garden

After school/work and at weekends is the ideal time to encourage your child to partake in outdoor play. Whether it is kicking a football around in the park, playing frisbee or trampolining in the back garden, it all counts as exercise!

Building treehouses and making dens

For those of you with more adventurous children, why not motivate them to build their very own treehouse or make a secret den? Although it isn’t a harder form of exercise it is still a great opportunity for your children to go outdoors and get some fresh air!

Routines

It is a fact that when something becomes part of your natural routine, it then becomes a habit. Factoring in some form of daily exercise into your child’s routine will help them recognise it as something they just do, rather than seeing it as a chore. Try and stick to regular days and times for certain activities, such as walking to Grandma’s house for dinner every Sunday, swimming with Mum on Thursday nights etc.

Joining clubs

Whether it’s a dance class, tai chi or football joining a club can be a great way for kids to learn something new, get some exercise and make some friends too!

Charity walk/run

If motivation is what they’re lacking, then an activity for charity might spur them on a bit. Let them help collect the donated money and keep track by filling out the sheet too.

It is also important to consider your child’s age and attention span. If your child is only 6 years old, then trying to persuade them to walk 30 minutes to school and back every day probably isn’t going to work – especially on the way home from school when they’re tired – so try and pick realistic activities for them.

Here at Tiny World, we understand the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle for young children which is why we introduce a range of activities to help keep your child fit and healthy. For more information about our excellent child care, please get in touch with today.