20 tips for an active family
Being fit and staying active should be a priority in everyone’s daily life – no matter how young or old you are. Therefore, sporting activities should be on the daily schedule in each family. No matter if it is a specific sport, dancing, walking, planting, or any other activity.
The American Heart Association recommends children with the age of six and older to get at least one of activity every day. Staying active will help them to maintain a healthy weight but it also keeps their hearts, brains, and bodies healthy. Thus, it gives children something to balance out after a long day in school. Engaging your kids in a healthy lifestyle means also that each parent should also engage in a healthy lifestyle itself. Studies say that the family environment is one of the strongest predictors of childhood obesity. Children are more likely to be active if the family is active themselves. If the family is not following an active life, children are more likely to follow that path.
In this article we will give you a variety of tips on healthy and fun activities to do together as a family.
1 – Limitation of screen time
The most important tip for an active family is to limit the amount of screen time. The less time children spend on screen the better it is for them. Let children play and move around. This does not only make them move but it also helps their creativity and imagination to grow.
2 – Plan family playtime
Being active together as a family is way more fun. Therefore, it is nice to plan some quality family playtimes. Nice activities to do are bowling, going on a long walk or miniature golf.
3 – Do chores together
Not only does it save a lot of time if each member of the family takes over some chores, but it is also a way to move and stay active together. Shovel snow, rake leaves, make the beds, fold the laundry, clean up or fill and empty the dishwasher are all nice activities that stretch your body and help build muscles.
4 – Toys for physical activity
Give children toys that encourage physical activity, such as balls, kites, skateboards, or jumping ropes.
5 – Train together for school fitness
Many schools have school fitness tests to check the sportive level of the children. As a family you can train together towards the fitness test your child is required to pass in sport class. Set specific goals and reward each family member when the goals are reached.
6 – Family-friendly aerobics workouts
Aerobic exercises help children to develop their body better. Make sure that these workouts are low in intensity and fit to the age of your child.
7 – Dance, dance, dance
Not only is it super fun to dance together. It is also a great activity to move your body. Just put some nice music on and dance together with your children. If you know any crazy dance moves, go ahead, and teach them to your child. Another fun dance activity to do is whenever there is a commercial break on the television, each one must stand up and dance as long as the commercials are playing. Make a dance night your family tradition and enjoy moving your bodies!
8 – Animal race
Let everyone in the family pick one specific animal, for example a snake, dog, monkey, or spider. The race around the entire house as you imitate the move of the animal. For extra fun add some proper animal noises.
9 – Create an obstacle course
Gather objects from the house that fit perfectly to create an obstacle course. For example, pillows are a great object that can be imagined as rocks that children must climb over. Hula Hoops can be imagined as a big whole that children need to avoid falling into. Let your creativity run freely and create a nice obstacle course.
10 – Learn a new sport together
A nice family sport to learn together is skiing. It is not only highly active, but it is also a nice sport to do outside in the fresh air. When deciding to learn a winter sport, we created an article on how your child is staying safe during winter sports.
11 – Set a good example
By implementing simple habits, you are already setting a good example for your children. Instead of taking the elevator, it is better to take the stairs. Walking or biking to the store is a better alternative than taking the car. Children will grow up with these habits and will continue these good health habits into adulthood.
12 – Add fun to physically active obligations
When sweeping the floor, vacuuming, or doing the dishes, it is always nice to do it when music is playing. Cleaning and dancing around are a fun ways to get house chores done.
13 – Spend time outside
Each day you should schedule some time outside together with your children. Go on a hike in nature, play in front of the house, explore a forest, or ride a bicycle.
14 – Learn how to plant
Learning more about plants and seeing them grow is a fun activity for children. They must learn how to take over responsibilities for the plans and therefore they must go outside each day to care about them.
15 – Treasure hunt
To keep the family fit and teach your children how to teamwork and solve problems, a treasure hunt is a great activity to do so. Go together to a local park and set an expedition course on a map. Take turns navigating to each point of the map and leading the team to each direction. Go hunting for bugs, animals, or flowers.
16 – Wash the car together
Kids love to play with water and by cleaning the car they have both – lots of fun and a good exercise.
17 – Go hiking
Families should take a hike at least two or three times a month. To be fully prepared for the hike, grab a backpack, and fill it with bottles of water, lunch, and some healthy snacks such as fruit or vegetable sticks. Make sure to wear the right hiking gear, such as the right footwear. Kids like hiking much more when they do not realize it is about hiking. Therefore, say that you are going for a picnic with delicious healthy food to share!
18 – Play Frisbee or play with a ball
While playing with a frisbee or with a ball you will get your heart rate up while running after that object. It is a fun and active activity!
19 – Let small children crawl, move, and toddle
Instead of finding a stationary activity for your children, encourage more activity. For toddlers and crawlers, find a safe space on the floor where you can put them down and let them move around. Older children can perfectly play in a sandbox, run through the backyard, or climb trees.
20 – Crawl with your baby
Crawling helps to develop the upper body strength of the baby. Nevertheless, it is also greatly beneficial for adults. Get down on all fours and crawl around the room with your baby.
We hope that with this article we were able to give you some inspiring tips for an active family.