Fitness For Kids - Tips To Help Children Stay Active

Kids today are not as active as they were twenty years ago. Video games and television have made them more sedentary. But kids need to be active to avoid obesity and to keep their growing body in tip top condition.

If you want to promote fitness for your kids, you need to set a good example. Have an exercise routine and stick to it. Let your kids see you exercising. You have more influence on your children than you think you do.

It is a good idea to limit the time that your children are allowed to watch television, play video games or be on the computer. By placing limits on their sedentary activities, your children will be forced to find other activities to engage in. You may want to get your children video games that require them to move their bodies to play. There are some great games available that will have your child dancing and even exercising.

Find out what interests your child the most. If your child likes soccer or basketball, sign him up for a team. If your daughter has an interest in horseback riding, sign her up for horseback riding lessons. Do not push your child into a sport that he or she does not want to do. This will send a negative message to your child.

If you have very young children, you can still encourage them to be active. Be silly around your little ones. Show them how much fun being active can be. Jump around to music, hop like a bunny or just play musical chairs with them.

A great idea to get your kids more active is to have them do chores. But you can make the chores more fun by turning them into a competition. See who can pull the most weeds in the garden or who can get their room clean the fastest. Making the chores fun will encourage the kids to help out around the house and become more active.

When your child has a birthday, schedule a party in which they will be doing something active. You may want to take the kids at the birthday party bowling or swimming at the local YMCA. If you have a large yard, you could have a game of scavenger hunt or even a game of kickball.

Make a family night of activity once a week. Have a different person choose each week what the weekly activity is going to be. Challenge each member of the family to come up with something more creative than the previous week.

Fitness for kids is not that difficult to incorporate into your family life if you use a little imagination. When the whole family gets involved, everyone will benefit from being more active.

By Kristy Lee Wilson