The school holidays come around all too quickly, and all of a sudden you’re trying to think of ways to make sure your kids don’t spend the whole time sitting in front of the TV. Summer holidays, in particular, is so long that you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve to help keep them active. Times have changed from when kids used to spend the summer biking around their local area and playing football in the park; they now spend time playing video games and browsing the internet. While it may seem they’re safer, it doesn’t do anything for their health. We all need to get out of the house regularly to get some sunshine and some fresh air, and kids are no different. Here are some ways to get the kids up and out, so that they can keep fit, enjoy the sunshine and have fun all at the same time.
Limit their screen time
TV, video games and computers may have their benefits, but too much time spent staring at a screen can have a damaging effect. The American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that children under the age of two have no screen time at all, whereas children over the age of two don’t watch any more than one to two hours of TV or video games each day. If you offer your kids an alternative then they will be less tempted to spend all of their holidays inside.
Buy some basics
You may not have a full gym in your house, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep some basics in the house to make exercising easier. A few balls, such as a football and basketball, a skipping rope, and even a bike if you have the room, will be great essentials to give your kids the incentive to move more. Better yet, it gets them outside.
Take the kids outside
Of course, you can exercise indoors. But getting the kids outside is likely to get them moving more and also gets them their daily dose of vitamin D. Why not take the kids down to the local park for a kickabout, or go swimming for half an hour? You can even use such activities as a reward for chores around the house – a 30 minute session down the park in exchange for taking out the rubbish in the morning or making their bed.
Give them things to do
Often, the problem for children is finding something that’s available to them. This is where buying things for the house, such as footballs, comes in handy. But if you put some more thought into it, it can be even more exciting for your kids. Why not make a scavenger hunt? At each station, give them a clue and an activity that they need to complete before moving on to the next location – this could be something like jumping jacks, push-ups or a lap around the garden. At the end, you could give them a reward to make it even more enticing.
Take up an activity
If you have the facilities nearby, why not set your kids up on a fun course? Dancing, karate or swimming are all great options, where they’ll have fun, keep fit and even make some new friends along the way. Check out the classes at your local gym or activity centre – you may even find that they have special summer classes available that are especially designed to keep kids entertained during the holidays.
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