Keeping Your Kids Active In The Summer
It almost feels as if Thanos snapped his fingers and the school year disappeared. Suddenly after 10 months of making lunches, helping with homework and making sure they show up on time, the teachers tagged us back and now it’s our turn.
So now that we have them for 2 months, what do we do with them? As great as it sounds, one of the biggest fears is that they will spend their entire summer sitting in front of the tv. What is preferable is that they spend at least a few hours of the day being active, in fact research shows that children require a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity. So what can we do to keep them active?
Most parents work during the day, we don’t get 2 months off like the kids when summer starts, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep them active. Don’t forget that as much as there needs to be some physical activity, challenging them mentally over the summer months is a great way to ensure that they are ready for their next grade level.
We asked our team to come up with some ideas for the summer to keep both you and the kids active both physically and mentally. Here are some great tips for you.
1) Limit the TV time to a few hours a day. Focus on them playing outside either with family and friends or as part of a larger group.
2) Sign them up to be part of a sports team or a day camp. Many kids organizations have camps throughout the day to keep kids busy and if they prefer a team sport, having them play baseball or soccer will help them stay active and develop some leadership skills.
3) Include an educational aspect to each event. Have them maintain a summer activity journal where they write about what they did in the summer and what they liked or didn’t like about it.
4) Have them read for an hour a day, or at least practice their reading if they need to.
5) Walking is a big part of exercise, so trips to museums, science centers or the zoo can be physically tiring with walking around.
6) If your kids are old enough have them do chores around the house. Walk the dog, sweep and clean their room (yours as well) and if they are in their teens have them get a summer job.
7) Set aside a specific time, for example, from 7pm to 8pm is family time. This time can be used to go to the park with the young ones or play soccer in the backyard or basketball at the school. Having a structured time where they know that they will be participating in an activity with mom and da helps them bond more with you as a parent and be more active.
For more great tips on helping you and your kids stay active during their summer break, contact us here at Somerset Family Chiropractic in Ajax.
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