How to Keep Your Young Child Healthy and Active
Do your kids spend all day watching screens? Here’s how to keep your young child healthy and active—and they’ll have FUN!
CanCan Mom’s hundreds of creative Get-to-Do Lists, routines, schedules, and solutions all make motherhood easier and more fun! Recognizing that you “Get To Do” these things because you are blessed to have a family simply reminds you to Interact with love and laughter more often than impatience.
Have fun incorporating my unique Fast & Free Quick Steps into your daily life!
Moms Crushing It with CanCan Quick Steps
Here are five fun and easy strategies that I’ve successfully implemented with my kids to help keep them moving instead of sitting attached to their electronics:
- Get Pedometers for Everyone in the House
- Play “Notice the Neighborhood”
- Yard Tournaments
- Play “Follow the Leader”
- Dance While Tidying Your Home
Get Moving!
How can we help keep our kids—and ourselves—fit?
Tip 1: Get Pedometers for Everyone in the House
When pedometers became popular a few years ago, I had to have one! I was amazed to see that getting in the recommended 10,000 steps per day was always much easier when I was wearing the pedometer regularly because I had a good sense of how much I was actually moving.
My kids noticed I was wearing one, and they would ask me throughout the day to share with them how many steps I had taken.
I finally decided that they should be keeping track of their own steps, not mine. I got each of them a pedometer, and they were thrilled. Towards the end of the day, they even got competitive with one another to see who was going to reach 10,000 steps first.
This was a great way to keep them in tune with how active they were—and the healthy competition encouraged more activity.
Of course, most of us now have Apple Watches or FitBits that track our steps and other healthy actions, but pedometers are still a terrific option for younger kids.
Tip 2: Play “Notice the Neighborhood”
One fall, when my kids were young, I introduced a fun game that we called “Notice the Neighborhood” when we went outside for a walk.
Before we started our walk, I would print a list of 10 random items I wanted my kids to find during the walk. For instance, I asked my boys to find one fruit tree, a house with a birdbath, a gray truck in the driveway, a house with green shutters, and six other items.
We had to complete the walk and the list within 45 minutes, so we walked at a brisk pace. Two big hills in our neighborhood added a bit of intensity.
Because the kids were excitedly trying to find the items on the list—they hardly noticed we were working out. They have enjoyed this so much that they request the walks now—and we, as parents, are also benefiting!
Tip 3: Yard Tournaments
One of my favorite childhood memories is of spending hours in our family backyard playing kickball, whiffle ball, and freeze tag. My siblings and I played outdoors for hours, stopping for a quick snack or bathroom break.
I’ve taken that experience to heart, so now my family has yard tournaments with great games like badminton, volleyball, Frisbee, and even hula hooping. I buy silly prizes from the dollar store and award them to the winners.
– CanCan Mom, Cheryl L. Butler
Time spent in your backyard with family can be the most memorable. There is no end to the activities the whole family can participate in—especially when these games are enjoyed on a regular basis.
We hold our yard tournaments throughout the entire year, winter included. If you don’t have a backyard, don’t worry; you can do the same in your local park or playground. My hope is that someday, my children will pass this active tradition down to their own families!
Tip 4: Play “Follow the Leader”
Kids love to play games, especially when they’re in charge of something or good at winning them!
It’s so important for younger kids to learn that body movement is healthy and lots of fun.
When my kids were about three, they joined our family’s “Follow the Leader” game. The goal was to tire them out with a fun adventure around the house or yard. One of my older children or I would be the leader. We’d parade up and down the stairs, all over the yard, and throughout the hallway, bedrooms, and even the garage. The simple object was to do fun and silly movements along the way because the other children in line had to copy their leader. This game can be adapted to a variety of activities, such as swimming, obstacle courses, and even playing on the swing set. It can also be played at a park, campground, or outside when visiting family and friends to settle kids down. Remember, all the leader needs to do is to keep moving so that the children will follow suit and imitate all the fun and silly movements.
Tip 5: Dance While Tidying Your Home
One of my favorite ways to re-energize is to listen to music with a great beat—I dance to the beat, which makes chores more fun!
With our large family and busy lives, we have a “Trash and Tidy” in our house twice weekly. We quickly go through the entire house and pick up items that don’t belong where they are and put them in their proper places.
This lasts for about 25 minutes, and the fast-paced music gets our blood flowing. The music takes our minds off the actual work, but more importantly, it really helps all of us burn calories—and even more importantly, we have a lot of laughs in the process.
I love this activity as it keeps the kids and me moving—and we have a tidy home to relax in when we are done with the fun!
How do you keep your kids active?
For all kinds of mom-centered creative ideas, visit me on Instagram at CanCanMomCB or on Pinterest at theCanCanMom. If you have questions or suggestions, email me at cheryl@cancanmom.com or leave a comment in the box below.
See Also: 5 Easy Ways to Say Yes to Your Kids Without Being a Pushover
