Stay Active Saturday - Naturally Active Kids

Have you ever noticed that a child's natural state seems to be "in motion". I mean, just one attempt at getting them to sit through a long meal, a sibling's ball game or any other event that requires them to be stationary will show how much they long to wiggle, jump and move.

As adults, we often think of exercise as "work" while kids think of it as "play". So when is it that we make this transition? And how can we keep it from happening to our kids?

I know from experience that my kids will play for hours at the playground or swimming pool, and I still have to drag them away kicking and screaming when it's time to go home. But I also see that, when I don't make the effort to provide these opportunities, that they're also content to sit around watching movies all day - and that's really alarming to me.

Lately, we've been making more time for outdoor activities, which is easier these days since winter and spring are our "outdoor" seasons here in Florida. Even if we're not practicing specific sports or training for an event, they're definitely more active when I make the time to do this. And that's a habit I definitely want to instill.

Here are some of our favorite activities we enjoy as a family:

- Nature walk / hike
- Bike ride around the neighborhood
- Bike ride to a destination (playground, restaurant, etc.)
- Walking the dog
- Frisbee, kite flying & kicking a soccer ball at the park
- Visiting new playgrounds
- Swimming
- Roller skating or ice skating

What are yours???