How to Help Teens Be More Active

It’s easy enough to get young children outside playing: offer to play hide-and-seek, entice them with a game of tag, or simply bring them to the playground and they’re ready to run.

But what do you do when it comes to getting teenagers to move more? That’s a scenario that can be harder to navigate.

In honor of National Physical Fitness Month, we’re collecting some great tips and tricks to help all our students #MoveInMay. In today’s post, we’ll explore great resources from around the web to encourage teens to be more active.

Read on for some great ideas!

1. Make screen time count.

Teenagers today are rarely found without some form of technology, whether it be a smart phone, tablet, computer or iPod. But the time your teen spends in front of a screen does not need to be inactive.

In addition to setting screen time limits, try incorporating some exercise into your child’s use of technology.

See who can do the most push-ups, squats or crunches during commercial breaks, or search the web for exercise programs that go along with your favorite shows. Love “Modern Family,” for example? Try doing 10 push-ups anytime Phil hurts himself, 20 crunches when Alex talks about school work, and 15 squats anytime Claire nags Phil.

And don’t forget to be a role model! Even if your teen is isn’t interested in adding exercise into screen time, they’ll notice if you do. So get down on the floor, do some push-ups, and it’s likely they’ll join you.

2. Set a good example.

Being a good fitness role model is important for more than just incorporating exercise into technology use. If your child sees you get up early each morning for a run, or head out for a walk after dinner, they’ll be more likely to do the same.

Start inviting them with you on these outings, or for a game of tennis or bike ride, and you’ll not only help them be more active, you’ll create more opportunities to chat and connect as well.

3.  Encourage the use of public transportation.

Living in Boston, there are many opportunities to use public transportation to get your teen where they need to go. So give your car a rest and tell them to take the T or bus the next time they want to head downtown or visit a friend.

While part of their trip won’t be active, they’ll have to walk to the station, to change train lines and to their destination. And though they might protest at first, getting places on their own will soon become a habit, and they’ll likely grow to enjoy the independence.

Good luck getting your teens to be more active! Have any tips of your own? Please share them with us!

 

How to Get Kids to Exercise More

It’s a common scenario for today’s families: the sun in shining, the air is warm…and your children are sitting inside on their tablet or computer.

Tell them to head outdoors, and you risk seeing them bring their technology with them.

So how can we help our children exercise more? In honor of National Physical Fitness Month, we’ll be sharing tips on the blog throughout May. This week, some ideas for easy games (that you can play, too!) that will get your kids moving!

For Young Children:

Children from toddlers through early elementary school are already get pretenders. So take their imaginations outdoors and use them to get them running around with these great activities from Parents.com!

Play “Animal Kingdom,” and take turns with your children to act like a wild animal, trying to get your fellow players to guess which member of the animal kingdom you are pretending to be. Run and jump like a gazelle, hop like a frog, even gallop like a horse. Anything that will get your children up and moving!

Turn some of their favorite stories or nursery rhymes into an active game. Read aloud and ask your child to act out what they are hearing. Not only will this get them moving (think Three Blind Mice‘s “see how they run), but you’ll encourage reading and help them practice their comprehension. Win-win!

For Upper Elementary/Middle School Children:

Older children may not be won over by silly games, but they often love a little competition. If you don’t have enough children (or neighbors) to field a soccer or wiffle ball game, try out a weekend scavenger hunt! Hide clues throughout your yard or neighborhood and send your children on a hunt for a prize (maybe a trip for some frozen yogurt?) or on a search for various animals, plants and other local sights. Make it a race and they’ll be moving as fast as they can!

For High School Children:

For children in high school, additional screen time often means not only less exercise, but less interaction with family, too.

At this age, students want to connect with their friends. So invite your child and a group of their friends for a hike up a nearby mountain or through a local park.

Remind them they can Instagram all those photos they take of nature along the hike, and they’ll be even more eager to join you!

Do any of our readers have tips of their own to get children to exercise more? Please share them in the comment section of this post!

#MoveInMay: May is National Physical Fitness Month!

As young people spend more time inside and in front of televisions, computers and (let’s face it) nearly any screen they can find, many do not get the physical fitness they need to stay healthy and perform well in school.

So this month, named National Physical Fitness Month by President Obama four years ago, we’re sharing lots of tips to help your family Move in May! We’ll share weekend activities in Greater Boston to help your family be more active, along with ideas for games, hikes and other things you can do to encourage your children to move more often.

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, youth need 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. In addition to physical health benefits, regular activity provides cognitive health benefits as well.

Research shows that when children are physically active, they achieve higher grades, record better attendance, and their behavior improves. In other words, active kids do better- in many areas of life!

To kick-off this “movement” (get it?!), head to Fitness.gov for some great tips to get your family moving, and follow @FitnessGov on Twitter to get frequent ideas for National Physical Fitness Month.

BSB’s own Twitter account, @BSB_School, will also be sharing these fitness resources, so if you don’t follow us already, now is the time!

We want to hear from our families, too! Know of a local active play group? Have a favorite nearby hiking trail or park? Visit a great playground in the area? Even have some tips to share to get kids away from their screens and into the sunshine? We want to know! Comment on this blog post or connect with us on Twitter and Facebook so we can share your knowledge throughout the month.

Let’s move, BSB!