The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.
Now that the weather is finally warm and the sun is in abundance, my family has been spending tons of time outdoors. This is my absolute favorite time of the year – I LOVE the outdoors and I love doing activities in the yard, but sometimes the kids need a little more motivation to get them out of the house and away from their ipads and movies. They always have fun once they are outside, but I have to get a little creative in persuading them to get up and out. Are you dealing with the same thing? Read on to check out the five ways I work fitness into our daily lives!
1. Make it fun!
Kids are a lot more open to doing what you want them to do when it is fun for them. My kids *love* it when they think they are doing something special, so I bought a cheap plastic bin and filled it with active play toys that they can only play with outside. Every time they go out, they can pick an item from it to play with for at least 15 minutes (older kids will be able to for longer periods). Right now it has a frisbee, a fun paddle/ball game, a jump rope, a bouncy ball, some water guns, and more in it that I found at the dollar store. I plan to add to it periodically and switch the contents up every so often.
2. Track activity with fun software.
With wireless activity monitors like the GeoPalz iBitz kids pedometer, kids can track their activity in a fun way while earning rewards, unlocking games and more!
Using the iBitz kids is a great way to let them have the screen time they want by working for it while working out at the same time. Clip it onto their clothing or shoe, sync it to the app from your iPhone or iPad, and let the fun begin! They can play games, do activity challenges, and complete tasks all while interacting with a cool on screen guide.
3 – Get creative
Some of the best activities for staying off the couch are done through imagination. Do your kids love pretend play? Why not create an obstacle course or treasure hunt that takes them on a journey around the yard? Not only will they have a blast, they will work up a sweat too!
4 – Snack smart
It is easy to get dehydrated and fatigued when you’re outside all day, so be sure to provide protein packed and refreshing snacks to keep them fueled and ready to play. Judah LOVES smoothies, so I keep them on hand for our afternoon adventures. His favorite fruits are strawberry and banana so that is what I use, but there are tons of options out there.
Want to know how to make them? Just combine fruit, milk, and ice together and blend. That’s it!
5 – Reward a job well done.
I don’t know about your kids, but mine seldom do what I want them to without there being something in it for them. It doesn’t have to be much, but using some kind of reward system for completing activity goals can help out tremendously in the motivation department. Stickers seem to work well for us – for each time Judah chooses active play over the tv or tablet he gets a sticker. When he gets ten stickers he gets a little treat like a pack of fruit chews or an extra 30 minutes of Disney Jr. after dinner.
So that’s what works for us. I am sure it won’t always, and there are tons of other methods that work for getting kids excited about physical activity, but for now we are doing pretty well with these. And now that you know what we do, try them for yourself!
