Playing and having fun is a great part of childhood. Running around with your friends while laughing and having the time of your life while doing something fun is just the best. Nowadays, there are lots of distractions that might make it harder to get children to go outside and have some good old fun with each other. With the development of technological devices, many children prefer to stay inside all day playing games on their computer, iPad or mobile devices and if they do this, they are going to miss out on a lot of exercise. This is also one of the reasons why child obesity is an increasing problem in many countries. It is important for parents to encourage their children to play and be active because playing has many great benefits that are important for the development of children’s social, physical, emotional, creative and cognitive skills. Luckily, there are many fun ways to get your children to be active and play.
If you need some great tips as to how you can activate your children either inside or outside, then keep reading this article where we have listed several fun ways to get your children to be active and play. If you want even more inspiration, you can visit Kompan.
Sports
Playing different kinds of sports is a really good way for children to get some exercise, develop their physical skills and have fun with their friends at the same time. Encourage your children to go out and play soccer, basketball or hockey with their friends or just any sport they might be into. They will improve both social and physical skills while playing sports with other children. It doesn’t really matter what sport your children want to play, you should just encourage your children to play any sport they like. You can also play sports with them and teach them how to grow and get better. Your children will without a doubt love if you go out and play sports with them. If your children show interest in sports, you can also encourage them to join a sports team. Playing on a team can be a great way for them to get some practice while still having fun and being a part of a sports community in a sports club.
Playgrounds
Another great way for children to be active and have fun is to go to playgrounds. There are many different playgrounds in every city, so spend some time finding the best playgrounds in the area and bring your children. You can also spend an entire day just moving from playground to playground around the city. You can bring food and drinks and have a small picnic at one of the playgrounds. Your children will definitely love to spend an entire day with their parents at many different playgrounds. At playgrounds, children will also have the opportunity to meet other children and evolve their social skills while interacting with different children. Natural playgrounds are really cool too and they actually help kids get a greater bond to nature. You can even find natural playgrounds and place them in the yard for the children to play on. This way, the fun is just outside the door and with a great natural playground right outside the house, the children will have easy access to lots of active fun.
The good old games
Some games just never get too old to play. Today, many children play a lot of the same games outside as their parents did when they were young children and many of these games don’t require a lot of tools in order to be able to play. All your children really need are their siblings or some friends to play with and they are good to go. So encourage your children to go outside with their siblings or friends and have fun while playing tag, hide and seek, kick the can, hopscotch, jump rope or some other classic games that the children would love to play. There are so many options so it’s really just about finding the games that the children will enjoy. Once they get going, they can easily play for many hours. When they play these games outside, they get a lot of exercise without really noticing it. Besides the physical benefits, they also develop their social and creative skills while playing these games outside with their siblings or friends.
Create an active lifestyle
Another way to get your children moving is to create an active lifestyle where playing and exercise is a part of daily life. This way, your children will get a lot of exercise without really noticing it and without really making it a challenge to get your children to be active. For example, you can encourage your children to go on bike rides with their friends or you can make occasional family trips where you ride your bikes instead of always driving in the car. If you have a dog, you can also encourage your children to take the dog out for walks or go play with the dog in the backyard. There are many ways to encourage your children to play and be active, and it is just a matter of being creative when creating an active lifestyle where play and exercise are a natural part of your lives.
Active indoor games
If the weather doesn’t really allow your children to go outside to play, there are also several fun ways to get your children moving while playing inside. Once again, it is just a matter of being creative. For example, children can also play hide and seek indoors, or you can make an indoor scavenger hunt where the children have to run around the house trying to find the things you have hidden for them. You can also have a family dance party or make kid-friendly workouts. If you participate in these indoor games as well, it will most likely be easier to encourage your children to participate as well.
