How to Be Your Family’s Fitness Role Model

If you’ve been following along with our school blog this May, you know we’ve been sharing tips and tricks to get your children moving, in honor of National Physical Fitness Month.

But sometimes, encouraging your children to go play outside, learn a new sport or get walking isn’t enough. As parents, it’s our job to serve as more than an encouraging voice on the sidelines: we need to be fitness role models!

So this week, we’re sharing some great tips to help parents become more active themselves, and inspire their children and their entire families to join them!

1) Begin building exercise habits early.

While it’s important for children to get exercise through play, whether backyard games or organized sports, it’s a common trap to think that this form of exercise is enough. In order to start building healthy habits that will last a lifetime, children need to be taught the importance of exercising, and be taught ways that they can exercise alone.

As they get older, they may not have a soccer team to play on, but they’ll always have access to road or trail on which they can run, walk bike or skate. So instead of heading out for your morning or pre-dinner jog solo, invite your children to come along! Push the littlest in a stroller, or ask them to ride on their bikes along side you.

2) Find fitness opportunities in daily life.

While it is important to get children exercising, it’s also important to show them that exercise doesn’t have to be hard- they are opportunities to build fitness in their every day lives.

Start walking to the local playground or park, walk to school if you live close enough, and bike to the local ice cream shop if you’re looking for a summertime treat. Instead of waiting for the elevator, take the stairs. Talk to your children about these choices, and let them know how much you care about having a healthy lifestyle and how you feel when you are active.

3) Take some time for yourself.

This one may seem counterproductive, but it’s not. As much as parents are encouraged to exercise with their families, it’s also important to take some time to take care of yourself as best you can.

Let your children see you prioritize your health and fitness. Let them see you take an extra 10 minutes to make a quick meal for your next road trip, instead of stopping for fast food. Let them see you wake up early to squeeze a workout on the weekends.

And most importantly, talk about why you are doing these things. Let your children know why you choose to make your health- and theirs- a priority, and they’re more likely to maintain their healthy habits into adulthood.

Do any of our parents have some tips of their own to becoming a healthy role model? Please share them in the comment section of this post!

 

Got Motivation?: Help Your Kids Transition Back to School After the Spring Holiday

Just as it’s hard for adults to go back to work after a week or two away, students often have trouble transitioning back to the classroom after a school break.

Are your students feeling reluctant about the return to school? While teachers and staff at BSB will be making sure to engage students and get them excited about the return to school, keep reading to learn some tips of your own to help make the transition easier and more enjoyable for your whole family.

The following ideas were shared last year on the educational organization Edudemic’s website, meant to help teachers motivate their students after a school break. We’ve adapted them to help parents help with the transition back to school, too!

1. Set short term goals.

In the classroom, this might mean easing students back into work, depending on how long they’ve been away. At home, this tactic could be used toward homework routines.

After two weeks of traveling, local fun or even BSB’s sports camp, students may be reluctant to get back to their homework and studying. For the first week, encourage your children to spend some time playing outside or relaxing with a book for 30 minutes to an hour after school, before starting their homework.

Helping them enjoy a bit of the fun they had over their break will make sitting down to do homework easier, and make your evenings at home smoother.

2. Find exciting material.

Teachers will be working to ensure they include exciting material in their lessons to engage students in their return to the classroom. At home, help boost your children’s enthusiasm for school with some fun at-home learning.

Is your child interested in science, art or reading? Check out BSB’s Pinterest page for some great resources on science experiments, art projects and recommended books that you can use at home to help your students engage in the learning process!

3. Start small.

For many students, going from two weeks of sleeping in, staying up later, traveling and relaxing at home to a structured school routine can be the hardest part about returning to the classroom. Ease the transition at home by slowly returning your child’s bedtime to its normal school week time, or continuing a school break tradition into the first week of their return to school.

Did your family travel to an interesting country or new state over the break? Try making a meal that reminds you of that place, and talking about your trip over dinner one night this week, helping your children gradually transition from vacation mode into learning mode.

Have some great tips of your own? Share them in the comments section of this post!