Healthy Activities to Get Kids Moving

Get your kids up and moving!  They should be active 60 minutes a day most days of the week. There are plenty of activities at home, out and about town, and on excursions throughout North Carolina that you can work into your routine.  Whether it’s rainy or sunny and whether you’re at home or on the road, you can make activity an everyday thing in your home.

When Can Your Child Be Active?

1-5 yrs. – help develop fundamental gross and fine motor skills (exploration)

  • Walking
  • Balancing
  • Playing with objects of different sizes and weights along with fun games

6-11 yrs. – continue to develop and improve motor skills with a focus on fitness

  • Throwing for distance
  • Kicking to a target
  • Games with basic rules and exercise

Active Inside

When the weather is too hot, too cold, too humid, too rainy, it can be tempting to spend the day relaxing on the couch in front of the TV.  But don’t let bad weather keep you from being active!

  • Dance!  Make a family mix and get everyone dancing!  Choose kid-friendly songs.
  • Active gaming becoming popular.  Choose active, moving games, like Dance Dance Revolution or Wii Fit games.
  • Get your kids to help clean and organize the house, and especially their own toys.
  • Try energizers spread out throughout the day.  A favorite is “As if”.  Move “as if” you are…
  • Register your kids for a track out camp or summer camp that offers plenty of opportunities for them to be active.

Active Outside

Get moving outside!  Most days in North Carolina afford a window of great weather to get outside and get active. These activities can be structured or unstructured.

  • Think outside the box: activity doesn’t have to be sports!  If your child is a history buff, sign up for walking tours of local historic towns or battlefields.  And bring the whole family along!
  • Go to the park!  Parks are fun any time of year and have lots of different things to do.
  • Don’t forget old-fashioned games like tag and hide-and-go-seek.  These are especially fun in a big yard with lots of kids around.
  • Try geocaching.  If you have a small GPS, look up coordinates for caches in your area, and locate them.
  • Garden!  Grow herbs, vegetables, or flowers, either in the ground or in containers.  Let your kids pick out a couple of their own and help them care for them.