BUFFALO, N.Y. — We know that making time for fitness has a lot of benefits for kids, including stress relief, improving sleep habits, and boosting self-confidence.
Students who are learning at home this year may be missing out on traditional gym classes, but there are plenty of easy ways for parents to help incorporate physical activity into the day.
Here are tips from Independent Health Wellness Specialist Michelle Carbery:
- Structure small chunks of time for fitness into a child's day
- Start the morning with a little movement when kids wake up
- Take study breaks to stretch and get the wiggles out
- After the school work is done, go outside for a walk or a bike ride
- Take time for some more stretching or yoga before bed
Carberry says as long as kids are moving and having fun, they're doing it right. It helps when parents show enthusiasm for the exercises, too.
"Make sure you're excited about it, too. So it's not 'alright, let's go do gym class, let's go do a workout.' It's, 'hey let's get up, let's put on a costume, or let's go do something fun. Let's go watch a video,'" she explained. "If you're excited about it, it's going to help them be excited about it too."
For some fun and fast ideas to get you started, check out the following links:
For more fitness activities for kids, visit the Independent Health Foundation's Facebook page.