Andrea Hartzell, PT is a pediatric physical therapist with a healthy lifestyle Program at Duke University. This Program focuses on empowering children and families with the skills and knowledge required for healthy eating and active lifestyle.
It’s that time of year when many of us want to go into hibernation mode and settled in with our comfor blanket, sipping hot chocolate. Shorter days, cold air and our motivation to go out. When we go into hibernation mode we, our children often end up following suit and the world of technology is likely to overtake the hours awake. With the level of obesity on the rise and the need to keep your kids active every day, it is imperative that parents help finding activities to keep kids engaged so that they do not end the couch potatoes for the winter months. Here are some suggestions to keep your kids interested, motivated and warm during the winter months this winter.
Have your kids help create a safety zone to play indoor games like crabs to active football, volleyball, or constraint set course by using pillows and other furniture home for them to crawl, at the bottom and move around. A little creativity can go a long way and children can help in the creation of activities (with parental consent, of course!) Have a Scavenger Hunt with hints and activities to be performed at any location is another way to keep them well thought and move. The Internet also is a good place to find creative ideas and games to keep them entertained in the House. There are also many games that keep you moving, such as Twister, guess, game by cranium and technology games such as Wii Fit and the X-BOX Kinex.
I’ve always been a fan of getting kids involved in household activities like cooking, cleaning and laundry (play basketball socks or have them help with meal planning which makes it more fun and get them involved). This will help keep them moving, teach them the responsibility and make family ties.