Parents and caregivers play a crucial role in developing healthy habits for children, and promoting physical activity is no exception. By doing things like sticking to a physical activity routine every day, going for walks as a family or playing sports, parents can help make exercise a normal part of life. Below are some tips for parents and caregivers on how to encourage physical activity at home.
Consistency and routine
When it comes to practicing movements and exercise, it is important to be consistent about it because it can be forgotten in a daily schedule. Regular exercise also allows your body to adapt and make progress.
Try This: Is there a time in the day that you and your child can do some yoga poses or go out for a walk?
Providing choices in selecting the physical activity
Giving choices helps your child feel that they have some control over what they do and makes them more motivated to engage in the activity.
You can ask: Do you want to play hopscotch or go on a walk today?
Encourage family involvement
Physical activity becomes even more fun if everyone is doing it together. This can mean joining your child on a walk or hike. You can spend quality time with them and encourage them with praises (“I love how hard you are working on this hike” or “What a great idea to pretend that we are monkeys in a bounce house jumping up and down”) as you move together.
Try this: As a parent/caregiver, you can model for your child engagement and fun in physical activity and share your personal experiences with activities you have engaged in and have enjoyed. Children look to you as models for many things in life, including getting active!
Improvement in social skills
Physical activity and joining team activities has been shown to improve social skills. Your child will learn to work as a team, communicate their needs, and may even make new friends in these activities, and these are skills that can help them in the future.
Try this: By enrolling your child in sports teams, dance classes or outdoor games with other children, you are providing an opportunity for social interactions and collaborations. After their physical activity is over, check in with your child about how it was for them and what they learned working together with their team. Share with them about times you had to work with a team toward a goal and the positive outcomes that came out of it.
