Here’s How You Can Motivate Your Kid To Workout

There have been a lot of discussions on how and why physical activities benefit kids. We all, as parents know well the risks our children will face for leading a sedentary lifestyle. There’s a risk of obesity and then the other dangerous risks like diabetes, heart problems come into the picture. Most of us know this very well. But is just knowing this fact enough? Isn’t it equally important that we give our kids the required push and opportunity to engage in some form of physical activity? Well, we are sure the answer is in agreement to this but ‘how’ would be the next big question!

This article will help you to help your child! Read on to find out ways to motivate your child to be physically active.

Understand First:

Let us understand first that kids love running around and playing. But then do ‘we’ actually let them do it? We are all so busy in our professional and social lives hoping that the schools will take care of the rest of the things for our children. Irrespective of how harsh this truth is, we are sort of responsible for our children’s lifestyle. Do we have enough time, oh and not to forget the energy, to take them out for play? Maybe not, leading them to get addicted to video games or other visual mediums like movies, TV. Fret not. It’s never too late. Getting your kid outdoors is not as difficult as you think. You will just need to explore different ways to motivate them.

Set the Right Example:

Start with yourself and set an example, your child will soon follow your footsteps. At their age, children generally follow whatever they see. They see you engaging in some form of physical activity, they’ll want to do it too. So if that means to give a nudge to your soul to go for a morning jog or a brisk walk, just do it.  

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Help them Explore:

Now that you have your child’s interest help them with their options. If you ask your child to go for a boring mechanical run every morning the chances of him/her not wanting to do it in a day or two are high. Children have a very short attention span. You need to grab it when you have the chance! Tell them about various sports or if they like watching any, then try convincing them they can learn to play like their favorite player. Let them explore all they want to before they pick.

Provide proper equipment and resources:

Ensure to buy toys and gifts that encourage physical activity. For instance, a bicycle, outdoor games equipment like hockey stick, cricket bat and ball, football, etc. could be good picks. Fondness for their new gift might motivate them to be on their feet and keep them active. Enroll your  child into various physical activity classes like dance class or martial arts to expose them to the various forms of fitness.

Prepare A Schedule:

Spare some time and discuss with your child to prepare a schedule. Allot some time specifically for your kids to be outdoors playing their favourite games. Do not compromise on your child’s interest or on the freshness of the schedule. Let one activity repeat only once or twice in a week. That way they wouldn’t get bored. Get them into a dance class 2 days a week, karate for another 2 and the rest of the 2 days you go out to play with them. Believe us, this will be the best family bonding activity.

Make it a fun-filled activity:

Think why a child would opt for a outdoor activity over watching TV. If the outdoor session is more fun-filled than the TV program then they will be willing to consider. Try inviting your kids’ friends over for a sporting event like trekking, flying a kite or just playing their favourite ‘outdoor’ sport. Understand that if the kid likes it then they’ll be looking forward to it. You could also design your family get togethers or occasions with a small physical activity session. This will also help your child bond well. Making it interesting and fun-filled will eliminate the probability of your child to seek solace in other sedentary activities.

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Track, time and challenge:

Let’s not deny this! Children love to be challenged. They like to be tracked and timed and often surpass themselves in challenges. Track an activity that you do every week, say like an activity of tug-of-war or a running race at a family get-together and challenge them to do better. See how they do each week and help them push the bar further.

Acknowledge and Reward your child’s efforts:

For example, if your child is learning a karate move, then once she/he learns it fully reward them. When you reward them you boost their confidence and help them to keep going. Ultimately children will push themselves forward to perform much better in that physical activity and look forward to work on it very week, thus giving workout an importance in their daily schedule. Acknowledge and reward your child likewise for all the efforts he/she has been putting in.

Talk!:

Talk to your child whenever possible, maybe in between your daily chores or while spending some time together. Discuss success stories of sportspersons or any fitness related stuff that might interest them or how good you or your partner were at some sort of sport when you were young like them, what you liked the most etc. Even a casual conversation to find out how they’re liking the outdoors or doing in their class is good.

As parents it’s always in your hands to support and slowly push your child to be active and lead a healthy lifestyle. Ensure they get ample rest and eat well too. Try making food interesting and yes, also take care of their water intake. Do this for them for a while and they’ll slowly but surely learn to do it themselves. Let us know how you’re motivating your child by commenting below.