TIPS TO MAKE YOUR CHILD MORE ACTIVE

Nowadays, children are spending an increasing amount of sitting in front of a device rather than being active outside. Parents understand that being inactive for long stretches of time can have a dramatic influence on the physical and mental health of their children. So, its totally understandable that you want to make your child active.

Indeed, physical activity is vital for the health and well-being of children as it promotes growth and development and also helps to maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints. Physical activity also boosts the critical thinking skills, enthusiasm, optimism, and self-esteem of children. Parents can play a significant role in helping their children to become more active. 

Easy tips to make your child more active

The starting point for a parent is to always praise, reward and encourage any physical activity that your child does. Here are some tips to help your little one become more active:

1. Emphasize fun

Help your children in finding the activity that they revel in because the more they like the activity, the more the chances of them continuing doing it. Try to get the whole family involved in it is the best way to spend quality family time together.

2. Explore new skills with your children

Help them learn a new skill, such as to challenge themselves and keep encouraging them as they face the initial obstacles. Children are always curious to try out new and unique things. So,encourage them to practice challenging tasks. However, children are also inclined to get bored quickly, so keep them engaged by keeping them invested in achieving the next step or milestone.

3. Organized activities

There are many active indoor games and dozens of games to play outside, so you can organize active play for your child. You can motivate your child by being a role model and participating in different games and activities with them.

4. Encourage games that will involve physical activity

Some games require high levels of physical exertion, while others involve mainly watching and waiting for turns. Inspire them to practice both kinds, so they learn the virtues of being patient, encouraging others and taking turns.

5. Make their screen-time an active time

If going to play outside is not an option, then encourage them to take part in interactive video games that need physical activity. For instance, baseball, tennis or bowling online games. In addition to that, you can also use active and energetic video games for physically active screen time.

6. Make fitness and breaks an essential part of routine

You can make fitness a part of your child’s daily routine, such as a walk with your child to and from school; you two can enjoy the perks of being active and bonding together. Similarly, if your children have schedules that are overbooked, plan to include some breaks for fitness activities like aerobics, brisk walk, jogging, swimming etc. Breaks in-between screen time are also critical.

7. Involve them in household chores

Motivate your children to participate in active outdoor activities at home. For instance, watering plants, pulling weeds, raking leaves, cleaning the garage or sweeping the walkway. However, make the chores fun with upbeat music and a small reward at the end.

8. Be an active role model

Being a parent, you are a role model of your children and if your children see that you are enjoying the time being active, they will be more likely to follow your behavior.

We hope these tips are helpful on your journey to make your child active and healthy.