6 Tips to Make Family Fitness Fun This Summer

The lazy days of summer are upon us. It’s important to give your family some downtime, particularly at the end of a busy school year, and especially after this year of COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges. Recognizing when your child needs rest is encouraging a healthy habit.

Encouraging physical activity is another vital habit for staying healthy. Parents are the ultimate role model, and when you make fitness a family focus, your child will understand how important this healthy habit is to maintain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that kids ages 6 to 17 years old get at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity or exercise daily with three days each week consisting of high-intensity exercise. Adults ages 18 years and older should try to achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.

The health benefits of being active for you and your child include:

• Maintaining a healthier body weight
• Having less body fat
• Building stronger muscles and bones
• Preventing heart disease, cancer, and stroke
• Lessening feelings of depression
• Boosting confidence 

How to Make Fitness Fun for Your Family

With some planning, you can help make physical activity a fun part of your family’s routine. Here are tips to help you get started:

1. Talk with your child’s doctor. If your child has constant health concerns or injuries, talk with their pediatrician to help you figure out which activities will work best.

2. Set activity goals. Start by setting a small goal that you and your family can reach together. E.g., agree to do 30 minutes of activity four days a week for four weeks.

3. Create a list of fun activities with your child. Creating a list and having your child choose the activities can make them more excited about participating in them. Some ideas to add to your list may include:

• Playing timeless games like Kick the Can, Simon Says, Freeze Tag, or Capture the Can
• Setting up a badminton net for some healthy family competition
• Riding bikes together
• Joining a community pool
• Training for a charity walk or 5K
• Going on a scavenger hunt
• Dancing around the house to your favorite songs
• Hiking and exploring new trials
• Helping clean a local park
• Playing an active video game that involves fun body movement
• Gardening together

4. Make a family activity calendar to track your progress. Add in your activities and post the calendar in a place every family member can see it. After you finish an activity, put fun stickers or notes on the calendar to celebrate milestones and other accomplishments.

5. Set challenges. Small contests can help keep motivating your family members and offer small rewards such as special stickers on the calendar, colorful certificates, ribbons, or an occasional ice cream cone treat.

6. Make positive reinforcement a priority. Physical activity can be more manageable for some children and harder for others. Knowing this, let your child go at his or her own pace and offer encouragement and positive reinforcement. Positive experiences with physical activity will make it easier to keep your child involved and interested.

 A Lifetime of Healthy Habits

Helping children establish healthy habits at a young age will help them grow into adults with healthy habits. Meeting your family’s goals of maintaining fun family physical activities can help give your child an excellent foundation for a healthy life..

*Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, aap.org