Summer is the time to get out and enjoy the sun. Don’t burn up indoors playing video games or watching TV. Burn calories and have fun playing outside with friends and family. It is vitally important that we teach our children to live an active lifestyle. They should enjoy physical activity. We do not have to turn them into athletes. The goal is to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy perspective on life. No child is happy playing on a screen all day long. They are simply complacent and lost on how to use their own imagination. Children who spend time in front of TV and video games have a harder time playing outside because they are used to play being spoon fed to them. They don’t know what to do outside or inside (for that matter) if the format is not provided. They are suffering from an imagination and creativity crisis. Let’s provide the format and stimulate the imagination and creativity they naturally have into active games. If they continue to allow a screen to provide the fun, they will have shorter attention spans, a lack of imagination, and eventually gain too much weight.
Summer Activities: Some fun, some work, some relaxing and some will break a sweat but all will encourage getting out there!
Badminton
Tag
Baseball
Soccer
Swimming
Hiking
Relay Races in the backyard
Running through a sprinkler
Jogging in the morning
Walking instead of riding in a car for short distances
Volleyball
Playing on the beach
Walking through a museum
Playing in a sandbox
Planting a garden
Walking the dog
Walking the neighbor’s dog
Cleaning out the garage
Mowing the lawn
Mowing the neighbor’s lawn
Playing basketball
Playing foursquare
Bike riding
Sweeping the front porch
Older kids can babysit as spending time with small children will keep you active.