To celebrate National Child Health Day, Town Sports International has released a list of fun fitness tips for kids during the winter months. The list has been developed to battle the growing problem of childhood obesity.
1.Don’t be afraid of the cold. Bundle up and encourage outside play times. If there is snow on the ground, go sledding or tubing, have a snowball fight, build a snowman, make snow angels or just go for a fun hike.
2.Enroll your child in an instructional class, such as dance, gymnastics, swimming or indoor sports classes.
3.Find indoor activities at your local skating rink, bowling alley, laser tag center or rock-climbing gym.
4.Discover a local community center or health club with basketball courts, pools or tennis courts. Shoot hoops, swim or volley tennis balls across the net.
5.Rent or buy a children’s fitness video. Instead of watching cartoons and playing video games, push the couch and tables out of the way and work out together.
6.Turn up the volume. Download your children’s favorite music and just dance. Have your kids re-enact their own music video, videotape them and play it back for hours of fun!
7.Check out fitness classes for kids or mommy-and-me group exercise classes at your local health club or gym.
8.Create an obstacle course in your house. Set up stations in your family room or throughout your house. Tunnels, hula hoops, jump ropes, steps and physio balls are great props for an exciting playtime.
9.Summer is not the only time for camp. Look for school’s out holiday camps and mini clinics at your local health club or community center. Kids can enroll in half-day or full-day activities.
10.Don’t forget games. Family games such as Twister are all-time favorites for kids and adults. And other classic games such as Duck Duck Goose and Freeze Tag can be played anytime.
