Walking with your kids becomes more fun and demanding after they can walk on their own. While younger children may need a stroller, they can build up their stamina by walking longer distances. Walking with your kids and modeling regular fitness is a great approach to fostering a passion for being active while generating lasting family memories. Read on for tips on getting your kids involved in family walks and try these ideas for incorporating walking time into family activities.
Why Children Should Walk
TV, computers, video games, and other screen time urge kids to be less active than they otherwise would. Kids used to be more active and spend more time outside. Stranger danger and inadequate pedestrian pathways also discourage parents from walking their kids to school, the shop, or the playground. Children ages 6 to 12 need about 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous movement every day. That’s 12,000-15,000 steps or 5-6 miles. However, globally, 81 percent of 11–17-year-olds are insufficiently active. These include using smartphones or tablets, watching TV, playing video games on a computer, driving or reading, and studying while seated. Globally, children are overly sedentary. Therefore, walking as a family is an easy method to get everyone moving. Encouraging daily or weekly walks build healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Even short walks might help establish a habit of exercising.
Family Walks
Schedule a half-hour to an hour of a family walking three or more days per week. This will help you and your kids get the daily recommended amount of physical activity. In addition, setting a time enables you to focus on your walking regimen. According to research, a schedule helps people maintain a healthy lifestyle. Consider getting a dog that demands daily walks to establish a routine. Take turns walking the dog as a family, and younger children can walk alone with the dog, lessening stranger danger.
Walking Events
Participate in charity walks with your youngster to spice up your walking. Enjoy collecting medals, t-shirts, and other rewards for being active without competing. Also, walking events may motivate the whole family significantly if they benefit a good cause.
Embrace tech
Kids adore having a step counter. Make step counting a game, or guess how many steps it will take from the house to the playground. Both Fitbit and Garmin make devices for kids. Pokemon Go is another way to bring your kids’ love of technology outside. The game is popular among families. Grannie and papa adore capturing Pokemon. It’s an excellent excuse to go to parks with more Pokestops. The app sets walking targets of 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km to hatch fresh Pokemon eggs.
Motivating Kids
“Are we there yet?” is a common refrain among parents walking with children. Kids expect constant stimulation and fun. So try to keep their curiosity and whining at bay.
Nature Maps and Books
Bring flower, tree, and bird guidebooks and try to “bag” fresh samples on each walk. Keep a record of your discoveries, take photos and make digital notes to review later. Ensuring that your youngster understands how to read maps, identify north and south, and navigate is essential. Encourage your child to draw a route map as you drive. Show your child how to use a mapping app on their phone.
Planned Rewards
Set up mini-rewards. Stop at a supermarket or market to get a healthy treat like fresh fruit. Bring sweets or prizes to give out at crucial points. A walk through a park or playground can be fun. Reward your kids by allowing them to explore and appreciate their environment.
Utilize Games and Amusement
Try walking games. These can be like automobile games like I Spy. But you may also play active games like Follow the Leader or catch while walking. Get to know your child while walking. Have a daily inquiry to explore your values and talents. Alternatively, prepare a nature or neighborhood trivia list for your kids to answer. Get your youngster a sports watch and teach them to track time, distance, splits, and use the stopwatch. It’s a great challenge to increase time, distance, or steps each week. Make a plan. Adults can get used to the same path, but kids get bored rapidly. So change your journey to view new stuff.
Kim’s Final Thoughts…
It can be not easy to get your kids (or yourself) moving after being sedentary. Family walks can help you spend quality time together while also forming healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Use these tactics to encourage your kids to go on walks and have fun. It’s best to focus on kid-friendly outdoor activities, such as stopping to enjoy the view. Your kids may soon be asking for more regular walks.
