Four Foolproof Ways To Get Your Kids Moving

In an ideal world, kids should get at least 1 hour of physical exercise every day. This is vital for a healthy lifestyle, but it’s becoming an incredibly difficult goal to achieve. 

Getting kids off the couch is harder than ever now there’s so much to keep them entertained indoors! Screens glorious screens mean they needn’t leave the house at all. And we’re seeing the effects, with over 32% of children now overweight. 

Even if weight isn’t a problem, incorporating exercise in children’s days is essential. If nothing else, it’ll help to burn off that excess energy that’s driving you crazy! 

The question is, how do you get uncooperative kids to finally start being more active? You’ve tried banning screens and kicking them into the garden, but nothing’s worked! Fear not, because I’ve got some suggestions that could get their blood pumping at last.

#1 Plan active days out

For some kids, sports will never be appealing. Luckily, physical activity is about more than the obvious! By planning active days out, you might be able to sneak exercise without even realizing it. 

What kid doesn’t love a good family day out? Whether you head to the local park or take a trip to the zoo; you can easily incorporate that hour of activity. Just getting the kids out of the house and walking around can help towards that!

If there’s an adventure playground on offer, you might not even have to put in the effort to get them moving. An hour of darting around on the slides will do the trick. Or, you could take a kite along to the park and dress exercise up in a way they’ll never notice.

Either way; days out are an excellent way to slip physical activity into proceedings without kids getting suspicious.

#2 Harness a love of sports

Sports are always going to come first in the physical activity stakes. Few other activities will ever match those levels of physicality!

Sadly, this can be easier said than done if your kids don’t love sports. The idea of kicking a football is never going to appeal to a child who hates football! But, that can change if you harness a sporting passion. 

Having sports matches on television or taking kids to live games can work wonders. Even just helping them pick a team can do the trick. Just like that, you might find they want to get out and start playing like their favorite team members. 

Not all kids are interested, of course, but this is a surprisingly easy technique. Remember, too, that are plenty of sports. If the kids don’t gel with one, try getting them into another!

#3 Host an activity-filled party

If all else fails, get creative. The more fun you have with this physical activity stuff, the more your kids are going to enjoy it. And, if they enjoy it, they’re more likely to keep it up! 

Thinking outside the box with an activity-filled party could work wonders here. Kids are always more willing when friends are around, after all. And, who can resist fun party games?

Make this enjoyable for everyone by giving your party a theme like ‘Football heroes’ or ‘Jurassic World’. You could dress up as football favorites to get everyone engaged. Or, invest in a realistic dinosaur costume from onlydinosaurs.com and chase the kids around to get them to act that way!

Party games could also work wonders. If you want to keep it simple, something like dancing statues is a subtle active option. Or, you could go all out with a football match for everyone. 

#4 Lead by example

If all else fails, it’s time to lead by example. If your kids see you sitting inside all day, they’re much more likely to do the same. Don’t let it happen!

Kids with active parents are usually much more active themselves, so give this theory a go. Get outside for a kick around yourself, or sign up for some fun active classes. If your kids can see you making an effort, they might start to follow along.

If you’re outside playing already, it probably won’t be long until a little person wants to join in! Equally, the whole family could soon start attending those dance classes.

This is an excellent way to bond. Even better; it’ll have you all more active in no time.

Encouraging modern kids to be more physically active is by no means easy. But, as you can see, it’s certainly not impossible!