There are so many perks to physical activity, from boosting our mood to improving our health.
However, sometimes it can be tricky to find the motivation to get moving, despite knowing it’s good for us. If you and your little ones aren’t as active as you’d like to be, there are plenty of steps you can take to change this.
At MoreLife, we’re passionate about helping people of all ages discover the joy of movement.
Whether you want to explore the world of exercise or start sitting down less and moving more, we’ve put together our top tips for encouraging your child to get active.
Structured Activity
When you first start thinking of getting your child more active, your mind might jump to structured activities. These involve sports and playing games that involve lots of movement. Examples include:
- Jogging
- Riding a bike
- Team sports
- Going to an exercise class or doing an exercise video
It’s advised that children and young people should be engaging in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes a day. This doesn’t have to be done all at once. It can be split into smaller chunks e.g. 3 lots of 20 minutes or 6 lots of 10 minutes throughout the day.
Enjoyment = Engagement
However, while structured exercise can work for some children, others don’t like it because it can remind them of being in the school environment and PE lessons. Enjoyment is crucial for children to remain engaged in physical activity, so this is the most important aspect to think about in helping children to stay active. What kind of activity would your child like to do? You could start by thinking about their hobbies and how to turn them into a physical activity.
For instance, if they like fantasy stories you could play mermaids in the pool or go to the woods for a fairy-tale inspired walk. If they like superheroes, you could create an obstacle course as part of their training mission.
Get Creative
You don’t have to stick to traditional activities. Every child is different. You can try lots of different ideas and see which ones they enjoy the most. Try exploring movement ideas that are different, creative, and fun. Getting creative with physical activities for your child to enjoy can be a challenging task, so we’ve put some ideas together to get you started:
- Create an obstacle course at home or in the garden
- Turn a walk into a game e.g. how many birds can you spot?
- Choose a song to create a dance routine to
- Try something different e.g. hula hooping, frisbee, skipping
Get Involved
Children enjoy taking part in activities with their family as well as with other children. They learn from what they observe others doing around them. You can become a role model so that your child can see how great it is to be active. Whether it’s dancing around the kitchen, trying a YouTube exercise video together, or going on a family bike ride – getting involved with the activities can help boost your child’s enjoyment levels. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for you and your child to spend some quality time together.
NEAT Movements
If you’re worried about how to ease your child into getting more active, you don’t necessarily have to start with exercise. Have you heard of NEAT Movement? These are None Exercise Activities. They’re extra movements you can do to get yourself moving and use more energy without thinking about it too much. A few examples are:
- Walking whilst you’re on the phone, rather than just sitting still
- Getting off the bus a stop earlier and walking to school or work
- Housework or gardening
Sitting less and moving more can make a big difference and can encourage healthy habits for the future.