Easy Habits for Keeping Kids Active

It’s officially August and even though it might seem like the school year just ended, another one is already about to begin. As your kids soak up the last few weeks of swimming, baseball games, and playing outside, take a minute to think about how your family will continue those good active play habits when there’s homework to be done.

After a long day at school, the rest of the afternoon can move quickly. Between snack time, homework time, dinnertime, and bedtime, it might seem like there isn’t anytime for playtime. But kids need at least 60 minutes of active play everyday—that means feet-moving, heart-rate-raising exercise. However, those 60 minutes don’t have to happen all at once. Try this formula for squeezing physical activity into the school year schedule.

20 minutes of Playing Outside

As soon as the school day ends, let kids run around outside for 20 minutes to blow off some steam. This could mean staying after the bell rings to play on the school’s jungle gym or hula hooping in your driveway. Either way, you’ll both benefit from leaving the stress of school at the front door.

5 minute Homework Break

Once kids have started their homework, they’ll need some quiet time sitting down to focus. Just don’t let your kid stay in one position for too long. After about a half hour of work, a short break can help your student refocus. Take 5 to jog in place, do jumping jacks, and stretch.

5 minute Dance Party

When homework is finally done, celebrate the achievement with a 5-minute dance party. Pick two of your family’s favorite songs, dim the lights, and start busting out your best moves. The only rule is that you can’t stop dancing until the music stops.

5 minute Commercial Breaks (3x)

Just because the kids have finished their work, doesn’t mean you are done with yours. Sometimes you need a quiet and safe activity for the kids while you make dinner and sometimes that activity is an hour of television. While it’s important to limit screen time as much as possible, a little bit of television is often just realistic. The good news is that you can still sneak some active play into television time by challenging your kids to move during commercial breaks. Have them bunny hop around the room, dance to commercial jingles, or try some sit-ups. In an hour of television most viewers will watch 3 commercial breaks, each lasting 5 minutes. This means 15 valuable minutes of active play, if you follow this rule.

15 minute Walk

Finish off the evening with an after dinner family walk. Ending the night with some physical activity will help your kids get tired before bedtime. You’ll also get some extra quality time together before baths and sleep.

Taken together, these short breaks from your normal routine add up to the 60 minutes of exercise kids need to stay healthy. 

Written by:
Jessica Bickel-Barlow  

Jessica is a recent graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she majored in Radio, Television, Film (RTVF) and English Literature. She worked for the Michael and Susan Dell Center during the summer of 2013 as a Communications Intern and she is thrilled to be returning to the Center this summer to further contribute her writing skills.