Summer's almost here! Who doesn’t remember that feeling of the last bell of the year and running out of school with the whole summer ahead! With all the pull of sedentary screen time, here are 5 things you can do as a family to stay active and keep sedentary and active behavior in a healthy balance.
1. Take a hike. Hiking in nature can be fun, but some children may find it a bore, especially if you encourage everyone to leave screens in the car. Create a family game by writing down things for everyone to find, then see who finds them all first. Some examples, a leaf that isn't green, a large bug, the color yellow, a bird not in flight. This activity is great for giving children something to focus on nature and creating a fun immersive family game along the way.
2. Hot Lava - Still a favorite on the playground! Get the whole family involved by allowing each family member to choose the route on the playground for the rest of the family to follow without touching the ground with their feet. This lets everyone have a turn a “being in charge” and lets each child showcase their best playground skills.
3. Take a dog for a walk. Walking a dog is a fun activity that the family and their pets benefit from. Is there a local dog park nearby? It's a great way to meet like minded dog lovers to chat with about pets. Its also a great way to help children enforce dog park rules with the family pet, taking the lead for responsibility instead of being the focus of the rules themselves. Don’t have a dog? Check with the local pet shelter, many have dog walking programs.
4. Mirror Me - Complete an activity on the playground, then challenge the family to mirror what you just did. Keep it interesting by incorporating arm gestures or funny faces to imitate. Remember to keep the activities age appropriate for the children who are playing.
5. Memory game - Similar to Mirror Me, but the leader strings several things together that the players have to remember to do in order. An example may be go down the slide, run to the bench and touch it, sing 6 times, then run back to start. Be sure to caution players to be respectful to others sharing the playground that aren’t playing the game.
What do you do to keep active as a family? We’d love you to share, follow us on Facebook or Instagram (@playcorenews) and let us know!
