There are a lot of reasons to get your child into a solid, consistent physical fitness program for kids from early on in their life. Setting the habit early will help ensure they stick with it into their elementary and high school years, and hopefully help them maintain a healthy living style once they’re on their own in college and beyond. Many people don’t get the recommended amount of fitness and exercise in their lives that is needed to stay healthy. Making sure your kid is staying active and fit in their everyday lives is one of the most important jobs of a parent.
If you are looking for a great physical fitness program for kids in Chicago, you have a few options. You can join others or create your own, or do a mix of both. Here are some ideas for you to help keep your kids physically active and fit.
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Take them on active vacations
When school breaks come around and it’s time to head out on a family vacation, consider adding an element of extra activity that a traditional vacation might not otherwise include. For example, instead of going to the beach and just lounging around, incorporate an element that gets the family up and moving, physically engaged and maybe even learning something new to make it fun. Get them into swimming lessons if they don’t already know how to swim. If they’re old enough, take the kids to get scuba certified. If it’s a winter trip, get them out in ski or snowboard lessons so they can learn to ride the mountain with you, and go ice skating together as a family later on.
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Sign them up for an after-school activity
You can sign your kids up for an after-school activity which offers kids a physical fitness program that focuses on fun and exercise. A good program will offer sports and other physical activities that will keep your kids active and moving after school hours. They’ll make friends and activity buddies there too!
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Get them on a sports team
If you want to make sure your kids are active and having fun, put them on a sports team for a sport they seem to enjoy. This will introduce them not only to regular fun, fitness and physical activity, but also valuable things like team sportsmanship, challenging themselves while having a good time, healthy competition, and a love for sports in general.
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Go camping
Even weekends can provide a great opportunity to get out and about with your kids and get them actively doing things. Camping means tents and campfires, which means they can help set up the shelter and go collect firewood. If you camp along a creek or stream, you can take them out to walk up the riverbed which can be a great workout.
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Have some family time fitness rituals
The kids aren’t the only ones who need to make sure to get physical fitness time in every day. You need exercise too, and you need to set a good example for your little ones. You can help achieve this by setting a fitness routine with the whole family, like taking a half hour walk together every night after dinner.
Studies have indicated that kids who are active are more likely to be able to pay attention and avoid distraction. Even just little tasks like having them do push ups or jumping jacks to get the blood flowing and get them up and moving can have positive effects, but the more you can do with or for them, the better off they’ll be.
