Getting kids to exercise isn’t always easy, but it’s not an impossible task. With a multitude of options, it’s about finding what’s going to work for each child while turning the experience into one that’s fun for them instead of annoying. Here are seven tips that may help encourage kids to exercise more often.
Make It a Bonding Experience
Exercising with your child can be a great opportunity to strengthen your relationship. Focus on making positive memories together, having great conversation and enjoying each other’s company, rather than being completely strict about the exercise aspect. Sure, working out is the purpose, but a happy, fun overall experience is what’s likely going to make a child interested in doing the activity again.
Research New Exercise Options Together
Your child may not be aware of the multitude of exercise options available, so do research together and see what activities they find exciting. From bowling to going for a hike to playing tag, explain what each activity is and see what they’re willing to try.
Ask Them What They Want to Do
Your child may already have an exercise they want to do in mind that they haven’t yet told you about, so ask them if there’s anything they want to try and see if it’s a doable option. They’re more likely to participate in an activity if it’s one they actually want to do. If they give you a few activity suggestions, it’s even better as you’ll have more ideas to work with.
Get Others Involved
Consider encouraging your child to exercise more often as an opportunity to get multiple people to do the same. Invite family members and you and your child’s friends to participate in the fun. For example, set up a kickball game or invite everyone to go for a morning walk on the beach. It creates memories and allows everyone to spend more time together while engaging in healthy activities.
Be Consistent
If you want your child to exercise consistently, it’s best to have activities in place to help that happen. Team activities are easy as there’s typically a set schedule involved, while family-run activities require more effort to implement daily. Once a month, consider filling in a calendar with various kid-friendly workouts to give both of you moments to look forward to.
Choose Activities With Movement
When you want to schedule a fun activity for your child, prioritize those that involve substantial movement rather than ones involving sitting for an extended period of time. For example, if it comes down to seeing a movie in the theater or going swimming, try to opt for the latter.
Keep Searching Out New Options
It’s great if your child has an exercise they love doing, but having a variety of options in mind can help keep things from getting boring. Keep up the search for additional activities your child would like doing so there’s always an exciting possibility waiting.
Start the process of getting your child to exercise more by initiating a conversation with them. Listen to their thoughts, offer your opinions and come together to form a fun plan you can both look forward to.
