How To Keep Your Kids Active In The Winter

11 December, 2014

Fitness

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With things like the internet and video games it can be difficult to keep kids active. It becomes even more difficult in winter, though, when the days become shorter and the weather colder. Here’s some tips on how to keep your kids active this winter.

What Is Recommended

The NHS recommends that toddlers under the age of five should have three hours of physical activity every day. This is including both light activity, which can be as simply as walking around, up to energetic activities like riding a bike, swimming, or skipping rope. As they get older this time should include at least an hour of the more energetic activities. Another important aspect that gets overlooked is that both children and adults shouldn’t sit still for more than an hour at a time. Watching TV or spending long periods of time travelling by car, bus or train are not good for a child’s health and development, and should be broken up when possible. Again, rigorous activities aren’t necessary in these situations. Simply standing up and allow your muscles to stretch can go a long way to improving your body’s overall health.

Outdoor Activities

Bigger cities often set up an ice rink for skating in the city centre. You could take the kids here to get them started and, if they really start to take to the hobby, there are still indoor rinks running throughout the year they can go to. Regatta have a great range of clothing to keep your children warm for outdoor activities. Cycling is also a great outdoor activity, checkout Leisure Lakes Bikes for the very latest bikes, cycling clothing, bike parts and accessories from all the top brands.

Indoor Activities

Young children will most likely try these kinds of activities on their own anyway. If you’ve got the space for it, set up a hallway race or a dance party. You could also bring toys that they usually use outside, like skipping ropes or hula hoops, inside.

Video Games

I really hate to say it but yes video games. Video games aren’t all bad. There are always going to be time when it’s raining or it’s just too cold outside. Systems like the Xbox Kinect, Playstation Move, or the Nintendo Wii all make use of the player’s movement and these can be a great tool to fall back on.

Young children build up a lot of energy that they need to release through exercise. This becomes more difficult during the winter months and can lead to them becoming frustrated and more difficult to handle. Try some of these tips this season and see how you go.

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About Paul Stainthorpe

Running has been part of my life since 2011. While growing up I hated running and would do anything to avoid it at school. Give me a ball and a racket any day. It’s funny how some things change. I run for good. In 2012 I ran the 12 Days of Christmas for the Percy Hedley Foundation. In 2013 I attempted (with friend Lee Nyland), the 12 parkruns of Christmas for the Tiny Lives Trust.