3 Reasons to keep your kids active during winter

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During the winter, the temperatures become too cold and it is very tempting to stay inside and just sit on the couch or even on the bed, watching TV and the like. There’s also that thinking we get from our elders that going outside when the temperature is cold will give us a cold or cause us to catch the flu.

But it is very important to keep ourselves active during winter. Not just you but your kids as well. You need to find some activities for your kids, whether indoors or outdoors to keep active during winter. Here are some reasons why you need to do so.

1. To keep them from getting bored – nowadays, the attention span of children seem to be getting shorter and shorter. It is hard for them to stay still and while it may be fine to keep them indoors without any activity for a few days, they will get bored eventually and you might be the one affected with all their complaints or incessant demands for an activity. You can keep things simple and design simple activities that will keep them from getting cabin fever. How about using the time to bake, or if it’s near the holidays, it’s time to pick a Christmas tree and do all the trimmings. A simple game of Twister or even just dancing can already break the boredom.

2. To get enough exercise and get enough sleep – exercise is not just important for adults, but for kids as well. In fact, kids should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activities every day. Getting enough exercise will also help them sleep better each day, and we all know just how important sleep is. Exercise can be as simple as going for a walk in the morning and as an added bonus you get a boost of Vitamin D. Just make sure to be wearing the proper gear so that you will stay warm. And there is also a winter sports camp which is a fun activity during school breaks. This would be perfect if your kids are very sporty and would need to keep training even during winter.

3. So they can grow to be active adults – you want your kids to become healthy adults and to do that, you will have to teach the habit of keeping active even while they are young. This means that they need to know the value of exercise and fitness, especially in times when they may not feel motivated to do so. This is usually during winter time when even adults have a hard time keeping active. Make keeping active fun, don’t just rely on workout videos to keep active. How about going on a sledding or skiing trip with your family? There are also indoor gyms and courts that are still open during winter so you can go to them. You can also plan small activities during the day so that you can limit screen time and have them do things like scavenger hunts instead.