Children of all ages spend a lot of time sitting in front of the TV, at a desk, and strapped into the car (and so do us adults). This not only prevents them from practicing their emerging motor skills and strengthening their heart, lungs, and muscles, but it can also set them up for a obesity or a sedentary lifestyle as an adult.
A good habit of physical activity will last a lifetime and when done as family it will double as quality bonding time and promote responsibility simultaneously.
Some of my favorite "Get Moving" family activities are :
- Walking to school.
- Pre and post dinner bike rides or walks.
- Jump roping, playing tag, catch, and hide and seek.
- Turn up the music and have a dance party.
- Turning chores into a game.
- I make my girls take up small sections of laundry to put away at a time and they end up doing about 12 sets of our stairs for that chore.
- Moping the floor with towels tapped to their feet.
- Sweeping and vacuuming.
- Dusting the baseboards.
- Make your child walk next to the shopping cart verses riding in it.
- Yard Work: raking and jumping in leaves, gardening, sweeping, painting.
- Walk a pet or the neighbors pet if you don’t have one.
- Carrying in the groceries (I actually unpack my reusable bags in the car and make the girls carry in 1-3 items at a time).