Active kids

AmberBarrios

I know for myself I make sure my kids are doing some physical activities every day. On days I jog I take them with me and they either run with me or ride their scooters (that's 3 miles and 7 miles on saturdays). I also let them box, it keeps the arguing to a minimum plus they have a great time doing it. I don't let them get hurt and if I see that it's getting out of hand I stop them but they really enjoy themselves and laugh so hard. My son loves video games and I have tried to limit the time he plays them, but if we are still at the house he wants to play so I make sure we go out and do things. We ride bikes etc.

What do you do to keep your kids active?

auntjenny74

Honestly, we just play. My oldest is 4 so I am sure it will evolve to more organized activities, but right now we:

Play "can't catch me"
I run with the stroller and the 4 year old rides his bike
Swim
Dance
Climb on the playground equipment
See who can run faster, climb higher, jump higher, etc.
Kick around the soccer ball

vim_n_vigor

My kids are pretty young 2 boys aged 3 and 5. I have them go out in the pool, or play outside on nice days, on days that aren't so nice, I have them go up and down our very long hallway pretending to be different things (racecar, fish, turtle, bear, etc.) they have a great time going up and down the hallway and burn a lot of extra energy.

usmcmp

My kids are 2 and 3 so we take walks, go swimming, play soccer, hike and if the weather is bad they do P90X with me or we dance.

ChanMay

Our kids were very inactive (because that is what I was teaching them) we have been making a huge effort to change that though. We have been playing softball in the yard and getting in swim time whenever we can. There is also a very large playground near our house so we try to get out there when we can. Instead of sitting on the sidelines like I normally would, I create challenges and races... it gets us all moving a little more than we would have!

summertime_girl

My 15 year old is working 40 hours per week as a construction site gopher this summer. Then he goes to the gym and/or football practice as well. He's plenty active. My 5 year old swims almost all day, every day, rides horses several times a week, and runs around the field while I'm jogging on the track daily.

summertime_girl

My 15 year old is working 40 hours per week as a construction site gopher this summer. Then he goes to the gym and/or football practice as well. He's plenty active. My 5 year old swims almost all day, every day, rides horses several times a week, and runs around the field while I'm jogging on the track daily.

faithfitnessandnutrition

My daughter is 16, she runs track and cross country and recently started doing the long jump for field events at school. When we are home, she is always outside playing flag football or running around with the other kids on the street... I love it that she stays so active at her age, instead of being inside watching TV. (she is still a phone addict though and she loves Justin Beiber :)

deninevi

I have 2 boys-6 and 8.They go to Tae Kwon Do 3 times a week, do tennis 1/week-each is 1 hour long. We take walks everyday. Also go to the park and the pool a lot. When the weather is bad we do boxing at home or we all do push ups, sit ups, sprints from one end of the house to the other,sometimes I make them obstacle course-pillows they have to jump over or crawl under the table. Some times I make shapes on the flour with tape and let them jump from shape to shape. And when the weather is super hot we play water guns in the yard-they love to get mom wet.

dointime

I let my boys jump on my bed. I know it may sound silly, but it's a great way to let them be active and expend energy. It can be done at any time of day and in any weather. My boys are (almost) 2 and 4, and we have a king size bed so there's plenty of room. They jump and bounce and somersault and dance and do whatever their little hearts desire. I am always right there supervising and making sure no one falls (and playing, too!!!) so I'm not worried about them getting hurt. They have an absolute ball and they're definitely getting exercise. We also do stuff like going to the park, taking walks, playing in the pool, but jumping on the bed is one of their favorite activities.

crazymama2two

my daughter is at camp all summer which means two hours of swimming plus tons of other activities. and my son is two and i bring him to the gym with me and he plays run around with the daycare staff and then we just "play" - whatever that means from one moment to the next.

crazymama2two

I let my boys jump on my bed. I know it may sound silly, but it's a great way to let them be active and expend energy. It can be done at any time of day and in any weather. My boys are (almost) 2 and 4, and we have a king size bed so there's plenty of room. They jump and bounce and somersault and dance and do whatever their little hearts desire. I am always right there supervising and making sure no one falls (and playing, too!!!) so I'm not worried about them getting hurt. They have an absolute ball and they're definitely getting exercise. We also do stuff like going to the park, taking walks, playing in the pool, but jumping on the bed is one of their favorite activities.

OHMYAWESOMENESS - im totally into this - if only i didnt have a memory foam bed...darnit!! this is such a cool idea!

fteale

My 3 year old - really isn't an issue. He runs constantly, if he's awake, he's running.

My 6 year old does rugby, swimming, sport at school (twice a week, as well as an hour outside playtime a day), karate and ballet twice a week. At weekends we go swimming, walking and bike riding, and they will happily spend hours every day on the trampoline.

I don't worry too much about their activity levels.

beth_hayden

My boys (5&6) bounce off the walls for exercise. j/k sorta!

They ride bikes & play. We go to playgrounds, swim, & a little hiking.

beth_hayden

Also, in the Spring & Fall they are on a soccer team. That would be practice 2x a week & games on Saturday.

baisleac

Munchkin is unstoppable. Couldn't keep her from being active if we tried. :bigsmile:

That said, we make sure she gets lots of run around outside time, flower "fencing", and "karate" practice. She's 2.

AmberBarrios

WOW you guys have some great ideas on keeping the kids active! LOVE IT!
It really doesn't matter what they do as long as they move, right.

My kids also like to race me, they think mom can't run fast. LOL but they only think that till I beat them.

MrsCon40

My 12 year old is a city kid so she gets a lot of exercise walking to and from everywhere. She plays softball in the fall and volleyball in the spring.

She's been traveling all summer (lucky kid) and has been doing LOADS of walking and swimming. She'll finally be home on Wednesday and she is going to do the Couch to 5k program - partially to start getting ready for softball and partially to give her an exercise for life.

She also rides horses with me occasionally. Oh and next summer she will get scuba certified.

I am trying to encourage her to be an active person. She can also show up many adults with her knowledge of nutrition! She's firmly in the middle of her BMI range and has a fantastic body image (yet is still modest - thank god!!)

cgd67

Soccer, my kids enjoy it! Lots of running, they sleep good!

Stephiede

I have a seven year old son. He likes to play basketball and ride his bike. We have stairs in our house and he gets a good workout from going up and down those everyday. He also loves to dance and exercise with mommy.

TanajaP

my kids are 2 and 4 and they don't understand the term "inactive" lol. they've always been active so i've never had to worry about that even when my husband and i both were overweight.. ok, i STILL am but i'm attempting to work on it!

both of our kids do real exercises regularly. if it's really quiet but i hear jumping i'll go into their room and find that they're using their toys as "weights" and they'll be doing presses, curls, jumping jacks, squats, burpes and push ups. it's a sight to see. they've caught on quickly but it makes me feel good to see they like it. i was a chubby kid growing up and it SUCKED.. i really don't want that for my kids so i'm happy we've started early with them.

unfortunately we don't get a lot of outside time. we live in the south and at 10 am it feels like satans breath outside so most of their running around is them running back and forth from their room to our room and back about a bazillion times a day.

AmberBarrios

Oh my kids also like to do Turbo Jam with me. It's pretty funny sometimes when my son really gets into it. When my husband goes somewhere with my son my daughter have our own little "dance parties" in the living room using spatulas and ladels as microphones. It's pretty hilarious!