Encouraging kids to get outdoors and be physically active is usually easier in the summertime. The hard part is finding ways for children to get moving and stay active year-round.
School-age children enjoy basic yard games and social games, such as playing hide-and-go-seek or tag, but they are also eager to learn the basic skills to do various sports and be around other children.
Whether it’s a parent, a physical education teacher or a coach, someone needs to show kids how to kick a soccer ball, throw a baseball, swim, swing a tennis racket or do martial arts. Pleasing others, rather than competing, is what typically motivates school-age children, according to this article in Live Science.
After school programs are a great way to get students moving, learning new skills, and active, and parents should try to provide children with as many opportunities as possible to play, move and be physically active before school, after school or during weekends.