Negosentro | How to Get Your Kids Active from an Early Age | Encouraging your kids to get physically active can be a piece of cake or your worst nightmare. It all depends on the approach you take towards exercises and physical activities. Many youngsters love to spend time running around and playing, but what if they get bored too soon?
It’s up to you to stimulate their imagination and teach them the importance of physical activities from an early age. It’s commonly known that parents play a large role when it comes to children’s physical development. So, don’t miss this chance to bond with your child and activate their body from an early age! But how can you get them to be active and improve their stamina?
1. Hip exercises with your babies
Many parents think that newborns and toddlers are too young to be physically active. They can’t even walk properly yet! However, this period is crucial to their development. The more time you spend with your youngsters, the better their development will be. So, try to get the most out of them while they are still babies!
How can you “activate” your infants? One of the first exercises you can do with your babies is hip exercises. Place your little one on its back and bend its knees to a 90-degree angle. Slightly move your child’s legs towards the belly and up, and inwards and outwards. You need to be extremely cautious while doing so not to hurt your youngster.
2. Baby body coordination
Did you know that humans are born with two fears: loud noises and falling? Even though there’s not much you can do about them, you can improve your child’s coordination from a young age. How can you do so when they are not even able to stand up? Teach your kid how to fly!
Sadly, we don’t have wings like birds. However, you can “fly” your baby around and get it used to different heights and perspectives. Sit on your couch and place your youngster on its belly on your knees. Move it up, down, left and right and help your youngster take a different perspective each time. This fly game will get more and more popular as they grow up, so make sure you’re strong enough to hold them!
3. Good morning stretches
Believe it or not, toddlers and kids can grow up to a few centimetres each night! That’s pretty impressive for such small bodies. If you want to stimulate their growth and jumpstart their day, consider introducing good morning stretches when they wake up. How can you do so?
You’ve probably noticed how kids can sometimes be grumpy when they wake up. Well, turn getting up into a game. The first thing you can do is “reach for the sun” to stretch their little bodies. Teach them some simple morning yoga for kids exercises and let them start off their days right. Not only is stretching beneficial for growth, but it also boosts your children’s energy and makes them active throughout the day!
4. Lead by example
Have you noticed how kids love to imitate grown-ups? This is an ideal chance to teach them how to lead an active and healthy life, and implement activities into their daily routines! If you work out every other day, don’t be hesitant to include your youngsters into this activity. Won’t they ruin it?
Absolutely not! You’ll have a chance to teach them how to properly do some exercises by being a correct model for them. Instead of hitting the gym, consider doing bodyweight exercises with your kids at home. It can be an interesting activity for the entire household. Make sure to watch over them no matter what exercise you’re doing. One wrong move can hurt them, so be cautious!
5. Make chores fun
Ugh, chores! Didn’t you hate to clean up your room when you were young? Playing is fun, but putting back toys in the baskets can be disastrous. However, doing chores is one of the ways your kids can be active. So, it’s up to you to make the chores thrilling activity for them.
Instead of ordering them to clean up their room, dust the living room or vacuum the floor, consider making chores a game! To make chores more fun you can turn them into a competition. Who can vacuum their room better? Who has the neatest shelves? Don’t forget to give out special prises at the end! Even something simple like stickers can stimulate your children to try their best and beat the record!
6. Activities for the entire family
One of the best ways to get your kids to be active is by doing something as a family! Children love to spend time with their parents in adventures. So, consider introducing family time at least once per week where you’ll do engaging physical activities. What can it be?
For instance, you can hit up a local trail and hike for a while. Similarly, you can pick out a nice sunny day and take your children for a bike ride. Instead of letting them ride on your bikes, make sure they have their own equipment and buy them the best kids bikes so they can be active as well! Is there anything better than spending time outdoors in fresh air while having a quality time with the family?
7. Encourage outdoor time
Whether your kids are all grown up or still in diapers, spending time outdoors can be extremely beneficial for them. It’s one of the most common ways parents use to make their kids active. So, why don’t you hop on the bandwagon and take your kids to the nearest park!
Besides running around and playing on swings and slides, your kids will get a chance to socialise with other children and make some friends! How exciting for them. Besides that, you can organise a family outdoor time where you’ll play different sports such as football, tennis or any other.
Conclusion
Getting your kids to be active from an early age can be an entertaining venture for the entire family. You need to find the right approach to make them interested in different activities that are not only beneficial now but will help them grow and develop later in life. It’s never too early to start working with your youngster, so what are you waiting for? Teach them how to be active from an early age.
Mike is an Australian business consulting specialist. He’s working with companies that outsource their IT maintenance. He often writes about technology, business and marketing and is a regular contributor on several sites.
