We’re definitely an active family and hope to encourage our kids to always be active and fit. As much as we love technology in this household, sometimes we need to make sure we get our kids unplugged and plugged into some physical fitness. Today I’m welcoming Ethel Baumberg from FLYAROO to share with us 10 great ideas for keeping kids active this summer!

Keep Kids Active this Summer!

Children who are active and exercise daily are more likely to build stronger muscles and bones, have a positive outlook on life, develop higher self-esteem, and sleep better. According to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children should have at least 60 minutes of daily structured physical activity. However, one in every four children do not meet this guideline. The best way to encourage children to become more active is by introducing them to activities they can have fun with. This will make kids more likely to become healthy, fit, and happy adults.

Below are 10 fun ways to keep kids active this summer.

1. Create a fitness circuit outside using colored chalk, sports balls, hula hoops, and/or other toys. The entire family can join in on the fun. Chalk the stations on the driveway or use markers for each circuit in the backyard. Ideas on stations:

• Any equipment you already have (basketball hoop, nets, trampoline, playground)
• Hopscotch (coordination)
• Jump roping (endurance)
• Jumping jacks (basic skills)
• Burpees (total body burnout)
• Warrior 3 (balance)

2. Use hula hoops to craft fun workouts for kids. Families are encouraged to use both new and broken hoops for activities. A new hula hoop is great for its original purpose, playing ball toss, and leap frog. While, a broken hoop can be used as a jump rope or as limbo stick.

3. Initiate a fun, innovative game with your kids. Ask them to go around the house and choose one item that they could turn into a fitness activity. We enjoy using a broom for jumping games or limbo, practicing bridges off the couch, yoga on the floor, tying a rope on a sturdy tree branch for rope climbing, jumping through tires, or simply creating an imaginative game of jumping over the lava.
4. Organize relay races with your family and friends. Instead of just running, try different types of cardiovascular exercises, such as jumping, hopping, skipping, shuffles, and bear crawls.
5. Construct your own treasure hunt inside and outside for your kids. Every time they find a clue, have them do a fitness exercise in order to move onto the next clue. At the end, give them a prize that will continue encourage them to stay active.
6. Create a game using the hose. Have your kids jump over the water or go under the stream for limbo to keep them cool in the summer heat and still moving.
7. Ride a bike together as a family. Sometimes, keeping kids active can be much simpler than we anticipate.
8. Try a playground workout for kids of all ages. Do these exercises with them!

• Monkey bars- go across as many times as you can without a break
• Swings- pumping legs sitting upright
• Pullups on handle bars
• Push-ups on the ground
• Step ups on the end of the slide (lower to the ground for kids)
• Climbing up and down the stairs or roped steps
• Hanging crunches

9. Take a nature scavenger hunt walk near your house or go hiking together. Decide on types of leaves, plants, animals, and rocks that you will be looking for during your walk. Learn about nature together while exercising.
10. Choose a charity kids 5K and start a couch to 5K training program with the kids. This is great for learning how to set goals and achieve results as a team.

FLYAROO Fitness believes that all children should participate in structured physical activity at least 60 minutes per day. All of the above mentioned activities are included in our program. Many times, we use our imagination to create scenarios for a treasure hunt, nature walk, water games, and so on. If it’s a rainy day or you’re in an area that doesn’t allow for a few of the activities, ask your kids to use their imagination and pretend they are jumping rope or on the trampoline.

Thanks so much Ethel for all the great tips about keeping our kids active this summer! To learn more about FLYAROO Fitness and our program, visit us at: www.FLYAROOFitness.com

Ethel Baumberg is a fitness professional and enthusiast who holds an MPH in health education and behavioral sciences and a BA in psychology with a concentration in childhood development. Taking her passion of women and children’s fitness, Ethel created FLYAROO Fitness, a program established for preschool children to discover their own passion and love for staying active. Her main goal is to empower a new generation of kids to be healthy and fit. As a renowned expert in children’s fitness, Ethel has been featured on Good Day New York, U.S. News & World Report, FamilyFun, Care.com, HealthNewsDigest, NerdWallet and WE Magazine for Women.

Designed to teach preschoolers about healthy habits through yoga, dance and imagination, FLYAROO Fitness is the first nationwide preschool certification program designed for children 18 months to 10 years. This learning-based movement program teaches kids numbers, shapes, colors and the alphabet.

Ethel currently resides in Northern New Jersey and is an adventure seeker. On her spare time, you’ll find her scheduling road trips, attending hot yoga classes, strength training, hiking, riding her beach cruiser, kayaking and paddleboarding.

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