Keeping Your Kids Active (Without Having To Leave The Backyard)
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While some of us might be looking at a life beyond our stay-at-home orders and in places that are relaxing the lockdown, a lot of us are going to remain cautious despite the change, especially when it comes to our kids. However, it’s natural to get worried about how an increasingly sedentary lifestyle might be affecting your children’s health. In this post, we’re going to look at effective ways to encourage them to stay active even if they can’t go too far.
Plant a garden
To some of you who have never done it, gardening might not sound like the most engaging or active of hobbies. However, the amount of work it takes to set up and plant a garden, not to mention take care of it over the coming days can really work up a sweat. As shown at countryliving.com, it also comes with the benefits of teaching your kids to be responsible for growing a living thing, and it can be really rewarding when they see their planted flowers growing through.
Jump around
The single best way to make kids more likely to get active in your backyard is to make it as fun as possible. There are multiple ways to do this but perhaps one of the most exciting is to set up a trampoline. You can follow the tips at bestvaluetrampoline.com to find one that’s not only within budget, but also fits the amount of space that you have available. Bouncing on a trampoline is actually a pretty great workout, as you will see when they come off it breathlessly excited.
Get a little help from the net
If you’re not certain just how active your child should be, given their age, then don’t be afraid to rely on a little outside help, as well. Physical exercise is just as important a part of your child’s education as maths and English. With that said, websites like gonoodle.com can help supplement any homeschooling efforts you’re trying out. These mindfulness and movement videos are designed to create a fun and creative space for children to engage in exercise.
Get competitive
Most kids have a natural sense of competition that they will be ready to tap into at the drop of a hat. If you ever have trouble getting them to engage physically, this can work excellently as a motivator. For instance, you could hold a competition to see who can dribble a basketball the most times in a row or you can look at websites like teachingmama.org and build an obstacle course. Then, you can hold a daily competition to see who has the best time. Even if one kid outshines the other, you can get involved in the mix to give them a little confidence boost.
Don’t forget, many places that are under stay-at-home orders still allow you and your kids to get out for some exercises such as walking or cycling. You don’t have to keep it all to the backyard, but the tips above can make sure you’re all getting the activity that you need.
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