When you were a child, you couldn’t wait for the school year to be over so you could take family trips out in nature, ride your bike, and run around with friends. But your kid today may not have the same idea of what constitutes the perfect summer break. Times change, and youngsters nowadays spend more time glued to their devices than they do playing outdoors.
Considering how harmful the overuse of technology can be for their children’s mental and physical well-being, parents are understandably worried. They now find themselves scrambling to reduce screen time and encourage physical activity the same way their parents used to limit their play time. This is especially true during summer holidays, when kids have plenty of free time on their hands and spend most of their time staring at their phones. If you’re wondering how to keep your kids active during their summer vacation, read on for a few helpful tricks shared by the experts at Uptown Jungle Peoria.
Turn everyday activities into play
You can have plenty of fun at home if you put an interesting spin on you and your child’s everyday routine. Even simple chores like cleaning the house, gardening, and washing the car are great exercise. Gamify them to make them feel a little special. For example, turn tidying the house into a race. The sibling who finishes their room first is the winner and gets a small prize. Or, give your kids a unique water park experience in your very own backyard while you water the lawn. Turn on the sprinklers and let them run around or try limbo dancing under the water hose.
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Try a change of scenery
Travel provides a welcome break in both the parents’ and the children’s routine. Take your family on vacation to the beach and spend your days swimming, building sand castles, and playing beach volleyball. Spice it up with a game of water bucket relay or a squirt gun fight. Or, go camping, hike through the woods, and have fun exploring nature. This can be an important learning experience too since youngsters learn to be more respectful of nature this way.
Promote new experiences
You can try flying a kite, teaching your kid how to rollerblade, playing mini golf together, or doing another engaging activity they haven’t tried before. Signing your child up for summer camp or taking them to a kids’ gym are also great opportunities for them to learn new skills and make friends over the summer. Camp programs are packed with age-appropriate activities and promote socialization, too. Children’s gyms and fun parks let children try out a variety of kid-friendly activities in a safe and stimulating environment.
Go back to timeless classics
Some things never grow old. Classic games like hide-and-seek, Simon says, hopscotch, hula hoop, jump rope, and others never fail to entertain a bored child. Not only will they be a throwback to your childhood and help you revisit fond memories, but they’ll also make your kids love every minute of their summer. Your little digital native may not know some of them at all, so they can be entirely new and fresh to them.
Blend technology with fitness
Not all video games are made equal. While most don’t engage the body, some require the player to move. They can be a great way to introduce more physical activity into your child’s life. There are also resources online that you can use to spark your child’s interest in exercise. For example, some offer yoga and zumba videos for children.
