These days, keeping kids fit and healthy can be difficult given that many of them like to stay at home to enjoy their video games and other electronic entertainment. In fact, it’s very common for parents to comment about their children and how “in the old days”, we’d spend more time playing outside and meeting our friends.

But can we really blame them? With technology making it incredibly easy to chat with their friends and meet new ones, it’s much more convenient for them to socialize on the internet as opposed to in person. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t encourage our children to be more fit and healthy. Here are five tips to help you get started.

1. Encourage more active sports for entertainment

Instead of focusing on video games and TV as entertainment, why not introduce them to sports such as hockey? Sports can be just as fun as any video game or show on TV, so it’s important to try and get your children to participate in sports as early as possible. Once they get hooked on playing actual sports outdoors, you’ll find that it no longer becomes a matter of exercising. Instead, they just want to be active because it’s fun, exhilarating, and can also be a social activity.

2. Balance their diet with a variety of foods

Balancing your child’s diet is incredibly important and can’t be underestimated when it comes to keeping them fit and healthy. You need to serve a variety of different foods to help balance their nutritional intake, but it’s also important for getting them used to different kinds of foods. If they grow up being a picky eater, then it can be difficult for them to break out of that habit in order to get more nutrition from various sources.

3. Limit their screen time

Limiting your child’s screen time is a great way to encourage them to seek entertainment elsewhere. Many kids are fixated on screens like the TV, their computer, or even smartphones. It provides them quick and convenient entertainment, so try not to let them get used to it. Instead, limit screen time so that they’re more likely to seek entertainment from other sources.

4. Encourage them to do more chores

Chores may seem like a punishment to some children, but housekeeping can be a great skill to teach your kids. It can be hard to encourage your child to do more chores, but it’s a surprisingly good way to teach them good housekeeping habits while also ensuring that they’re getting a bit of activity every day.

5. Set a good example for your children

Lastly, don’t forget to be the example that you want to set. For example, you need to make sure that you’re participating in sports when possible, and you also need to be the one eating a variety of balanced foods in order to encourage your child to do the same. If you’re not setting a good example, then it’ll be hard for your children to follow your advice.

Additional resources:

• Visit Cerebral Palsy Family Network for more health tips
• Alternative Easter Gifts For Children
• Parents concerned over kids’ health during remote learning