As a parent, you want to teach your kids that staying active and healthy is important at a young age. You want to teach them that physical fitness requires a lifetime commitment to exercise and a healthy lifestyle. A lack of physical activity and poor diet are the main contributors to childhood obesity, a problem that is affecting many young children today.Research has shown that children who develop basic motor skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, jumping, skipping, and balance are more likely to grow into healthy active adults. Studies have shown that daily physical activity helps children academically as well. Learning basic physical skills is essential to the healthy growth and development of your child.
By now you should know, the best way to teach is by example. Children who are taught basic motor skills at a young age, such as jumping, throwing and catching, will not only grow up to be healthier adults, but will also perform better academically as they grow up. So get outside and help your child learn these skills by doing them yourself. Your child will be excited to learn with your help.
There are a lot of outside games you can play that will provide wonderful aerobic exercise. Outdoors is the place to run off steam, get the heart rate up and work up a sweat. This is a great time to share some of the games you played when you were a kid. These are just a few of the games you can try:
Fill the Glass: Divide into two groups. Each group has a teaspoon. There is a bucket full of water at one end of the yard. On the other end of the yard are two cups. The team that can fill up their cup first is the winner.
Foursquare: Draw a big square on the ground and divide it into four even squares big enough for a player to move around in. Number each square 1-4. There are only four players, and each one starts in a square. A player bounces the ball in his or her square, one time, and hits it to another square. That player has to let it bounce once and hit it to another square. If everything isn’t done right, that player is eliminated. The three remaining players move up toward square 1, and a new player enters the game on square 4.
Classic games like Capture the Flag, Dodgeball, Red Rover, Blind Man’s Bluff, Lazer Tag and just regular old Tag will get the blood pumping and are more "Tween" oriented games. They can even make up their own games. Enjoy yourself, and use your imagination. You’ll be teaching your kids how much fun it is to have fun. Not only will they learn about the importance of physical fitness, they will learn about the importance of spending time with their family.
Guest post by Emily Patterson (@epatt1062) on behalf of Primrose Schools: child care services that build a great educational foundation
Tomorrow on FlourSackMama.com: specific results from kids who get moving!