As a parent, you always want the best for your child. And that’s just as true when it comes to their health and well being as it is for anything else. That’s why most parents want their kids to get up, get out there and be active on a regular basis.
But with so many distractions these days, it can be tough to get your kids as active as they need to be in order to fend off problems relating to childhood obesity. If you want to encourage your child to be more active and less focused on screens and distractions, here are some ideas to help you with that.
Make it About Fun
The golden rule of encouraging your kids to be more active is that it needs to be fun. They’re not going to want to spend their time doing something they don’t enjoy, and that’s when it starts feeling like a chore to them. So try to come up with ideas and things to do that you know they’re likely to enjoy and find fun. If you can do that, it’ll make a real difference and they’ll be much more likely to want to leave their screen entertainment behind.
Provide a Safe Environment for Outdoor Activities
If you have a back garden that your child can play safely in, they’ll be much more likely to be active on a regular basis. You want to make sure that your kids are able to feel safe and secure when they’re outdoors and being active. And you can make that happen by ensuring the garden perimeter is as secure as it can be and by taking precautions to mitigate any other safety issues that might exist. Providing a safe environment is one of the first things you should try to get right.
Provide Them with Active Toys
When you next treat them to new toys and things like that, you should probably stay away from video games and devices that they can get endlessly distracted by. Instead, give them the gift of active play. There are lots of toys and games that encourage kids to do things together and be playful, and all of these types of games involve them getting active. A bike is another example because they’ll want to get out there and ride it.
Be a Role Model
It’s important that you set the right example for your kids when it comes to being active and spending time away from the screens. If you’re always staring at your phone and never doing anything active, the chances are they’ll adopt the same habits. Your kids need to have a role model and that role model will usually be you as their parent. So be aware of that and set a good example for them to follow.
Set Limits on Screen Time
Putting specific limits on the amount of time your kids are allowed to spend on screens might be something that you consider. You need to strike a balance between encouraging them to do things outdoors and being active, while also not coming across as too strict with all of this. You don’t want them to start associating being active and playing sports with a punishment.
Experiment with Different Gym Activities
Experimenting with different types of activities is the easiest way to see what your child likes and what they don’t. You want them to find something that they can really connect with because that’s how they’re going to stick to it over the long-term. There are classes that cover just about everything, from gymnastics for preschoolers to soccer for all different age groups. There’s something for everyone, and you should try as many of them as possible with your child.
Don’t Push Things Too Much
It’s important that you don’t push things too much when it comes to your kids spending time outdoors and being active. You have to encourage them without forcing them. As we’ve mentioned, you want this to be organic and not to feel like a punishment or anything that they’re being forced to do when they don’t really want to; that’s not helpful for anyone, least of all your kids.
As you can see, there are lots of ways to encourage your child to spend a bit more time outdoors being active. Getting them away from the screen might be the hardest part of all, and that’s why it’s so important to make the alternative a fun option because that’s what’ll tempt them away.
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