my kids need more exercise -- what should i do

[momma aimee]

today i put the kids bikes in the van and took us all to the town park.

 

i wanted to walk.

 

i got to walk 1/2 a mile, maybe a little more, behind them. but Little is so slow and whiney up the SLIGHT hills that we never got up a good pace. he rode a 1/2 mile, and whined he was tired. Big rode a little bit more, but no 3/4 and had the same complaint. apparently my boys need to work out more even more than i do -- i was let down, i thought hauling the bikes to the park would last longer and they';d really go and go and wear themselves down and get spend some time at it, no so much.

 

i never thought about my 4 and 6 yo needed to push themselves more, they watch TV but not all day and they have viedo gasmes but not even ever day (car seat and waiting room mostly). the play a lot -- but i am realizing they do not run and run and so on -- they build, they pile rocks, they dig, they stack .... so for the love of pete i have to start making my boys exerzie *eye roll* i thought i could trust a non couch patoto 6 (and 4) year old to stay in shape alone. geez add one more thing to my list .....

 

Big take Little Ninjias once a week, and while it is good at body control, it is not physically taxing.

 

how do i get them to push themselves more -- i do not want this out of shape trend to continue.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Kids that young need a reason to go from one spot to another. Have fun races - on foot, on bikes, hopping, skipping etc. Make the distance doable. Give the younger one a chance to shine at times. Take a ball and have them kick it. I bet others have even better ideas.

[momma aimee]

Kids that young need a reason to go from one spot to another. Have fun races - on foot, on bikes, hopping, skipping etc. Make the distance doable. Give the younger one a chance to shine at times. Take a ball and have them kick it. I bet others have even better ideas.

 

i just never thought about it -- they have so much free time and play outside hours each day -- but i guess i am realizing they don't RUN or RACE or ..... as much as sit and do (dig, build, watch bugs, catch frogs....).

 

I will have to really start encouraging more ACTION

[LeslieAnneLevine]

When we'd take walks at those ages, we'd play a game where pretend people were with us, leaving us notes along the way (like on a tree trunk or on a rock), etc. At one point we had Spiderman, Tintin, Sonic, Krypto the superdog and Monk (DS hadn't seen the show, but knew who Monk was) with us.

 

Another idea that can work is to pack a treat of some sort and when you reach a certain spot you can sit down and have it.

 

Once my son could ride a scooter, walks on pavement became much easier, I ended up getting one too.

 

Other fun activities can be splash parks, bowling, squirt gun fun in the yard (if you have one). At that age a lot of my son's outdoor exercise was at the playground.

Edited June 21, 2012 by LeslieAnneLevine

[LeslieAnneLevine]

i just never thought about it -- they have so much free time and play outside hours each day -- but i guess i am realizing they don't RUN or RACE or ..... as much as sit and do (dig, build, watch bugs, catch frogs....).

 

I will have to really start encouraging more ACTION

 

Well, that's half the battle won if they already spend a lot of time outside. I think you just move more outdoors than indoors in general. Maybe they'd enjoy a game out there like a ring toss. Maybe they'd like to play freeze tag or colored eggs (the one who is "it" thinks of a color and as soon as one of the others guesses it, the game of tag is on).

eta: maybe next time you're at the store pick up a beach ball and some bubbles?

Edited June 21, 2012 by LeslieAnneLevine

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Wanna trade kids for a while?! Lol. My ds is not capable of walking anywhere; skipping through walmart, hopping to pt/ot/st, jog-skip-hop in the library, etc.

 

When ds is at the park with his guns, there is not a single child that does not run.

 

You could chase them as a zombie, get hoppy balls to race with, play with a slip n slide.

[Parrothead]

Take walks. Race them to "the next tree" or corner or light pole.

[momma aimee]

:001_smile:

 

we do take family walks and hikes, but they do not have much endurence. and they are sooo slllooowwwww. :D

 

keep the ideas coming.

 

Thanks

[MrsH]

My kids do need to be pushed beyond just that next corner. My 10 year old will whine and complain the whole first mile, then walk the next 4 faster than any of us!

 

At the playground we sometimes bring "treasures" to hide and they have to go find them. When they're with other kids, they like to play lava (tag but nobody can step on the woodchips, they have to climb all around). Even just starting the day with a walk around the block and racing to the corners would probably work! It sounds like they're happy to be active in short spurts, and could probably do it for longer if they were motivated?

 

Oh and when we're hiking we pick short hikes to cool "destinations:" a boulder cave 15 minutes in, or a labyrinth 10 minutes in, a tower that's 20 minutes up a steep hill, or even just "when we get to the other side of this pond we'll look for places to build a fairy house." That sense of purpose really helps.

 

Oh and in the summer, water balloons, squirters, slip 'n slide, sponge-tosses, or sprinkler games work well!

[Soror]

:001_smile:

 

we do take family walks and hikes, but they do not have much endurence. and they are sooo slllooowwwww. :D

 

keep the ideas coming.

 

Thanks

 

You have to keep at it often and keep increasing distance, just make it a bit over what they can easy do. You can bring a stroller as well for when you want to go further then they can go. Every day is ideal, or at least several times a week. We started walking to hunt for nature. Introduce something to look for and it is very exciting for them to try and find it.

[Soror]

Another thing the kids like on walks is singing kid's songs, you know like "The Ants Go Marching" and such. My kids race each other at times and I race as well(although I'm not much on racing while pregnant). Mine aren't always the fastest but the older 2 keep a pretty good speed now. Ds1 (almost 8) especially he is always running back and forth and such and DD1 likes to run now as well. These days I just walk normal speed and if dd1 falls behind she just runs to catch up. She loves watching for wildflowers so any flower is a delay on her part! Now I have to start training dd2 as she is starting to want to walk for little bits here and there while hiking but usually she stays in the stroller. When she was smaller I kept her in the Ergo and dd1 would have the stroller for when she got tired. These days I just have the stroller for dd2 and dd1 just walks, although occasionally I'll let her sit in the stroller as well, although not for long distances because it is designed for 1 (although it will hold that much weight). She used to whine constantly but now she loves it more than anybody else.

[kroe1]

Kids who exercise for life usually have parents who exercise. The bike trip should be an almost daily activity along with playing other sports. Get yourself a bike, too, with a trailer to put the youngest children.

 

Sounds like fun!

:)

[momma aimee]

we did a day hike today and it was HORRIBLE.

 

I am going to start taking them to the town park evey day and walking at least 1/2 mile with them -- working out way up -- they really need it.

 

we walked (same face) .75 mile in total and Little walked less than 1/4 of it and cried the entire time he was walking. it was horrible.

 

so we are gonna make it TOP OF THE LIST -- right up there with reading and math to make sure they both get exercise daily -- and you know if it is fun and games, it will, at least be, walking the walking path daily it mom.

 

i can NOT have a 4.5 yo this weak and dare i say lazy.

[LibraryLover]

Bikes. Roller skates. Scooters. Driveway basketball games (if you have a driveway). Jump ropes. Swimming (is there a lake, ocean or pool you could visit most days in summer?) Pushing each other in a wagon.

CAn you manage a large trampoline in the yard? I know some people don't like these, but kids love them and stay on them forever. Put some rules in place and it could work.

 

What about lower cost town summer tennis or sailing lessons? There is a lot of hauling in sailing. :)

Edited June 25, 2012 by LibraryLover

[LibraryLover]

Kids that young need a reason to go from one spot to another. Have fun races - on foot, on bikes, hopping, skipping etc. Make the distance doable. Give the younger one a chance to shine at times. Take a ball and have them kick it. I bet others have even better ideas.

:iagree: This is why I like to bike for errands etc. (I know not everyone can.)

 

We live near 'treat' places. For instance, I will not drive my kids to the ice cream stand. If they want ice cream, they walk to get it. If they want to go to the beach near our house, they have to bike or walk. I have told them it's too close for them to be wasting gas.

 

I understand not all folks live within walking distance of anywhere worth visiting, but if you do, this is an opportunity to be active. I try to set a good example (not always great) by riding my bike to local places as well.

 

Keep hydrated, and go.

Edited June 25, 2012 by LibraryLover

[LaxMom]

Kids that young need a reason to go from one spot to another. Have fun races - on foot, on bikes, hopping, skipping etc. Make the distance doable. Give the younger one a chance to shine at times. Take a ball and have them kick it. I bet others have even better ideas.

 

Yup. My kids ran their first 5k when they were 9 and 6. We took them on training runs for weeks prior and their major energy expenditure was complaining. EXCEPT when I took them to run a trail through the woods. Then, I couldn't keep pace with them. Two of them are lacrosse middies, and they run miles back and forth on the field, no complaints.

 

The other thing is that around the first 10 minutes of cardio are hard for me, still. I spend the first 8 minutes mentally going " this sucks... I hate this... I'm only doing enough to warm up before I lift... Ack...." Once I hit the 10 minute mark, I get into the groove and can go on for an hour or more. So, it may be a boredom thing, combined with never hitting that aerobic level groove because of all the starting and stopping.

[joannqn]

Try Letterboxing to give them something to look forward to at the end.

[SKL]

Just keep at it every day (or at least several days a week). They'll get used to it. Make sure you're active at the same time.

 

I always do my walking (around the paths / perimeter) while my kids are at the park or pool, and if they complain that they want to go home before I'm ready, I point out that I need my exercise and so do they, and I keep on walking.

 

I always keep my kids' bikes in my trunk. We go to parks that have areas for biking as well as climbers and such. They go back and forth between riding and running/climbing, so they don't get bored too easily. We also go to several different parks to keep things interesting. (We can't really bike in my neighborhood because the hills are too steep.)

 

Have you tried taking them swimming? It's hard for kids to stay still in a pool. Plus, they don't feel hot and sweaty.

 

For the cold months, I've signed my kids up for classes at The Little Gym. Each class is an hour long. We haven't really started yet, but hopefully this will keep them moving throughout the school year.

[swellmomma]

Those are the run ahead ages I call them. My kids at that age loved to sprint ahead and then wait for me at whatever I told them to. It got them running to run buit also kept them far enough ahead I could walk at a good speed, plus gave them lots of chances to catch their breath. So they would run and I would yell, stop at the next light, stop at the corner, hug the stop sign etc. My little ones loved that. They felt like they were getting a forbidden freedom too. If they didn't stop etc they had to hold my hand which is just no fun when the other one is running off. (added bonus, I start this game just after the 2nd birthday, they all -including daycare kids- automatically stop and do not step on the road without me, because that has always been a designated and automatic stop spot when running ahead, I rarely need to remind them by 2.5 since I began that game because they want to keep the freedom which I can not give them if they are not safe)

 

As they grow and we want further walks, usually I include a water/juice/snack break when x distance is reached. Early on the walk was with a destination in mind like the convience store to get a popsicle for example. They are more than willing to walk all the way across town for that popsicle and walk back eating it. We can make a great distance in parks etc by turning it into a nature study. Those kids would go miles in order to beat the nature scavenger hunt and not even realize it.

 

Adding a playground/river/pond etc helps too, sometimes it is our destination, sometimes the middle with the goal to walk further after a short break checking it out.

 

And some kids just stay slow. ds 13 is very very slow and we just keep going with him trailing behind. He keeps walking but is too slow for the rest of us so we just keep on going ahead.

[kricau]

I let mine ride their bikes/roller skates in the house. We have wood/tile floors so it works. And since it is about 98* outside it's the only way to get some excersize (and energy out)...well that, and the pool :)

[Penelope]

A lot of great suggestions here.

 

Along the lines of walking with a goal in mind, your oldest might like to take along a stopwatch and time himself running short sprints while waiting for the younger one to catch up. Younger one might even get into it.

 

You could give them something to accomplish, like finding a new kind of leaf or tree while they are walking, or count how many birds they see, or find something for nature study that they can take home and draw or do a leaf rubbing with.

 

It can be fun to make a chart and see how many times you can go around the path or track in a week, or a month.

[momma aimee]

just ordered cheap stop watches for them, and dug out the children's compasses i had in the science tubbie

[Pegasus]

My favorite state park has walking trails to interesting sites (look out over a valley, waterfall, etc.). My DC, who would whine about being made to march around our boring neighborhood, will happily hike through the woods and up the mountains to reach these locations. The "treat" is built in with a beautiful view or a pool at the bottom of a waterfall to wade in.

[redsquirrel]

I hate to say this, but the best way that my partner and I have found to encourage our kids to move a lot is...to move a lot.

 

We both started exercising on a regular basis almost every single day. He runs and rides his bike, I use our nordic trak and I also run. We both lift weights etc. We talk about it, make plans around it, have fun doing it together. He will take the kids to the park to ride bikes while I jog. We sign up for 5ks and run them as a family. Yeah, we come in towards the end, but it's fun. My dh can actually run at a good pace, has won his age category, but these days he is just trying to set a good example for the boys.

 

We made a very conscious decision to do this. It has not always been easy. I am NOT a natural at these things. Really, really, not. But, our kids are active! They see exercise as a thing to make time for and to incorporate into their lives.

 

I wish there was another way. I wish that so much! :lol:

[ELITEANDLOVINGIT]

Turn off TV...or get rid of it completely.

 

Make them do an hour of exercise for an hour of TV and stick to it.

 

Play outside with them doing anything fun, anything is better than sitting.

 

If you have money get Kinect for XBOX, we NEVER had video games and I only allow Kinect, but it is incredible and I am grateful I caved especially in our long Wisconsin winters.

 

Buy a trampoline if you can afford it and jump with them!

 

Get a family membership to the Gym or YMCA...

 

Take a family boot camp

[whitestavern]

Try Letterboxing to give them something to look forward to at the end.

 

 

:iagree:

 

Letterboxing was a huge success when my kids were that age. Now they just love hiking at any time, but that really helped develop that love. We all really enjoy letterboxing. Checking out letterboxing.org to get started.

[momma aimee]

I hate to say this, but the best way that my partner and I have found to encourage our kids to move a lot is...to move a lot.

 

We both started exercising on a regular basis almost every single day. He runs and rides his bike, I use our nordic trak and I also run. We both lift weights etc. We talk about it, make plans around it, have fun doing it together. He will take the kids to the park to ride bikes while I jog. We sign up for 5ks and run them as a family. Yeah, we come in towards the end, but it's fun. My dh can actually run at a good pace, has won his age category, but these days he is just trying to set a good example for the boys.

 

We made a very conscious decision to do this. It has not always been easy. I am NOT a natural at these things. Really, really, not. But, our kids are active! They see exercise as a thing to make time for and to incorporate into their lives.

 

I wish there was another way. I wish that so much! :lol:

 

DH and I do work out daily. DH does Kettel bells before work 4 to 5 days a week; he walks 45 minutes over lunch. I work out at teh Y 3x a week and try my best to walk daily. :D I do not feel i am telling them to do something i don't do myself.

 

DH and I have been talking about doing more with them, rather than after bedtime and so on --

 

DH just dropped 25 pounds and has 20 left to go, i just decided to loose 20 pounds (all i have put on since Jan, we think it is a medication issue) so he and i are becoming more conscious of diet and taking the exercizeing we were already doing, up a notch.

 

i started a tally sheet for them of how far the family walks (or they and I do) and i am getting them each a cheap stop watch to play with.

 

Our Y has a boot camp like class, but i think it is for older kids, i am going to look

[KungFuPanda]

Try Letterboxing to give them something to look forward to at the end.

 

:iagree:

 

Letterboxing was a huge success when my kids were that age. Now they just love hiking at any time, but that really helped develop that love. We all really enjoy letterboxing. Checking out letterboxing.org to get started.

 

:iagree:

 

Here's a FAQ page.

http://www.atlasquest.com/about/

[Julie Smith]

:iagree: This is why I like to bike for errands etc. (I know not everyone can.)

 

Starting years ago we would commute by not car. I remember at ages 3 and 5 planning out how to get to Gramma's house.

 

Walk 1KM to the train station

Train, then Bus

Then meet Gramma. :)

 

Since Youngest was so young we planned a picnic lunch along the route and lots of time. Lots and lots of time. We tired to make it an adventure or sorts.

 

In our house, if you want to go swimming you bike. Meet Daddy for lunch you bike (or run beside), You want more food options, then you walk/bike to the grocery store. You want me to buy something heavy or big at the grocery store, then you bring a knapsack or help pull the wagon home. Library, you walk, ...

 

All this built up the kids endurance and speed.

 

Now as the reward for it they get to do so much more. So many options are easily within range for them. I talk about this often to them, how since I know I can depend on them walking/biking we are able to do many things we would not be able to do any other way.

 

(Example last year dh needed the car on the same day as the field trip to a water slide park. He was able to drop us off, but we would have to get home by ourselves. I knew my boys and that even after a day at the park they could manage the 9KM bike ride home, and they did)

 

Yup. My kids ran their first 5k when they were 9 and 6. We took them on training runs for weeks prior and their major energy expenditure was complaining. EXCEPT when I took them to run a trail through the woods. Then, I couldn't keep pace with them. Two of them are lacrosse middies, and they run miles back and forth on the field, no complaints.

 

The other thing is that around the first 10 minutes of cardio are hard for me, still. I spend the first 8 minutes mentally going " this sucks... I hate this... I'm only doing enough to warm up before I lift... Ack...." Once I hit the 10 minute mark, I get into the groove and can go on for an hour or more. So, it may be a boredom thing, combined with never hitting that aerobic level groove because of all the starting and stopping.

 

Last summer mine, then 5 and 7 ran a 3KM. We also got to the race by biking. :p several KM. The reward for doing all that was the free t-shirt, ice cream, and snacks afterwards.

 

In middle of July we are running in the Running Room 20 minute challenge. Which is run non-stop (walk if needed) for 20 minutes and get a nice free hat and a juice box.

[VeritasMama]

If you want a formal physical education curriculum, we enjoy this:

 

http://www.familytimefitness.com/fitness4homeschool/Fitness4HomeSchool.php

 

I got it for 60% off from the www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org, they have coupon codes for this product too from time to time.

 

HTH!

[Soror]

Julie I'm jealous of your proximity to various places to bike. Of the many pluses of living in the country we don't have much to bike to, the most north point of town is 15 (24 km) miles away and many things are 20-25 (30-32 km) miles away. Dh used to bike a ton as a kid but ds is not quite at the age to go to where he did on his own. He has been biking more and more though and really building his endurance just by riding around the yard and some on the road and park. There used to be a store about 7 mi(11km) away that dh would bike to with friends but it has closed down. We do have trails to bike but with the little ones we keep to fairly flat ground. Dd1 likes to bike but still is in training wheels so the rough trails don't work well for us!

 

Aimee one of the many reasons we switched to family fitness and activity was to make sure activity was a family thing and not just something Mom and Dad did on their own. It makes for awesome family time to be doing work together or play together etc.

[LivingHope]

Go out every day...then it will be part of life. This is a new routine, a beginning for them, and their trying to keep up with you will turn to you trying to keep up with them. When my children reach 4 years old, they are required to walk our entire daily route (3-4 miles) in preparation for our family's backpacking trips. I can only carry small children on my back!

 

I don't call our daily walk "exercise." We call it "outside." Maybe the name change may help the ones who don't want to work but love to play. :001_smile:

[momma aimee]

Starting years ago we would commute by not car. I remember at ages 3 and 5 planning out how to get to Gramma's house.

 

Walk 1KM to the train station

Train, then Bus

Then meet Gramma. :)

 

Since Youngest was so young we planned a picnic lunch along the route and lots of time. Lots and lots of time. We tired to make it an adventure or sorts.

 

In our house, if you want to go swimming you bike. Meet Daddy for lunch you bike (or run beside), You want more food options, then you walk/bike to the grocery store. You want me to buy something heavy or big at the grocery store, then you bring a knapsack or help pull the wagon home. Library, you walk, ...

 

All this built up the kids endurance and speed.

 

Now as the reward for it they get to do so much more. So many options are easily within range for them. I talk about this often to them, how since I know I can depend on them walking/biking we are able to do many things we would not be able to do any other way.

 

(Example last year dh needed the car on the same day as the field trip to a water slide park. He was able to drop us off, but we would have to get home by ourselves. I knew my boys and that even after a day at the park they could manage the 9KM bike ride home, and they did)

 

 

 

Last summer mine, then 5 and 7 ran a 3KM. We also got to the race by biking. :p several KM. The reward for doing all that was the free t-shirt, ice cream, and snacks afterwards.

 

In middle of July we are running in the Running Room 20 minute challenge. Which is run non-stop (walk if needed) for 20 minutes and get a nice free hat and a juice box.

 

we are moving in either Aug or Nov. we are very rural right now -- nothing but the house next door in walking distance even for me and DH.

 

after we move we plan to rent in town for a year or 2 untill we are ready to buy or build again (in the country, though i hope not this rural) so THEN we might have the option of walking (or biking) for icecream, or to the park or to the store or ....

 

we just don't right now.