Active After School

Easing back into a school routine is often easier said than done. Parents (and kids) often find themselves being thrown, blindfolded, and unprepared into early, rushed mornings. Finding that morning routine can be tough and then finding the afternoon routine, can be pretty tricky. Most kids start out the year coming home tired and ready for a snack and a nap; however, once they fall into the schedule, afternoons are boisterous, and energy filled.

Kids should get 60 minutes of activity in a day. Check out health.gov/moveyourway/get-kids-active to help increase active minutes in a day. This tool helps you to look at the morning, calculate their recess time at school, and where you can add in time in the evening. One of the most common barriers to outdoor fun is screen time. Gone are the days where we leave our backpacks at the door and rush outside to ride bikes with friends. This has been replaced by hyper-focusing on TikTok videos and Minecraft. It is important to limit these activities, and don’t be surprised when you start to hear “I’m bored”. Most kids aren’t sure what to do when given time to “play”. It could be helpful to create some options or set ‘activity playing time limits’ to access screen time- 30 minutes of bike riding or trampoline time for 20 minutes of screen time.

Keeping kids active after school is important for their health and focus in school. Being seated at a desk with minimal break time is close to torture for younger kids. Homework may be challenging and many kids exhibit maladaptive behaviors when they cannot release the energy that they have built up during the day. While homework is important, studies show that allowing access to play, prior to homework, shows improved results in focus and motivation. According to kidshealth.org, when kids are active, their bodies can do the things they want and need them to do. Why? Because regular exercise provides these benefits: strong muscles and bones, healthy weight, decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, better sleep and a better outlook on life.

While not every child is a ‘star athlete’, there are plenty of activities to encourage, such as, walking the dog, cleaning up in the yard, jumping on a trampoline, bike riding, and even finding kid-based YouTube video workouts (their favorite). Learn your child’s fitness personality and encourage them to create and build a well-rounded healthy lifestyle at a young age.

8/15/2022 8:17:44 PM
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