By: Rashi Chaudhary
8 Easy Tips To keep Your Kids Active & Healthy During Summer Vacation
Summer vacation is around the corner, which every parent waits for all year long because they get to spend plenty of time with their children and go for family vacations, which is actually the best part. Children also look forward to it because they get free from homework and have time to relax or play during the summer vacation.
Undoubtedly, the COVID times have ruined the concept of summer vacations lately, but now, fortunately, the situation has gotten much better which means families can make the most out of summer breaks as they used to do earlier.
In the past, summer breaks for kids meant playing games in the park with friends, going for a cycle ride, or swimming. As time passes by, video games, Netflix, and binge-watching Netflix or YouTube has become the new way of spending the break at home.
Since you’re here, chances are that you are also worried about this annoying habit of kids and you may want to discover some ways to keep them entertained, active, and most importantly healthy.
We’ve got you covered. Here are the eight ways to make your kids’ summer break enjoyable, and stress-free, and make them learn some healthy habits too.
1. Get Active Together
One of the simplest ways to keep children stay healthy over the break is following a workout routine and encouraging kids to take part. Kids tend to follow what their parents do. Teach them yoga, go for a run, skip jumping, indulge in q quick dance/Zumba session, or any activity that sounds fun together. Try different activities and make them fun for kids. These little actions can have a huge impact on their health and mind, too. It is also a great opportunity to teach your Lil ones the importance of exercising regularly.
2. Involve Children in Cooking
Come up with a list of healthy recipes, allow them to pick the one, and let them involve in the process once or twice a week. This is a fantastic idea to incorporate healthy eating habits into the children. Be a role model and show your children the variety of food that you eat. If you have a fussy eater in the house, it can turn out to be a great way to make them eat the food that they don’t eat otherwise. This way they will also learn about where the food comes from, the benefits of healthy ingredients, also the ill-effects associated with unhealthy eating.
3. Assign Some Household Chores
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Quite underrated but very effective! Indulging in some or other household chores is one of the easiest ways to stay physically active and luckily children also like to follow the duties assigned to them. Engaging them in activities like arranging toys, and bedsheets, keeping their clothes in the wardrobe, and several other chores will not only help them to stay occupied and active but they will also learn the importance of maintaining cleanliness and taking duties seriously.
4. Encourage Healthy Eating
Cravings are normal and there’s nothing wrong with that. Sudden hunger strikes among children can make you worried about how to feed them with healthy options regularly. So, if your kids are always coming up with “I am bored, give me something to eat”, consider the nutritious summer-time snacks that are healthy and budget-friendly to satisfy their cravings without compromising on their health.
If you’re travelling out of the town, keep healthy snacks like fruits, dry fruits, popcorn, and sandwich, or drop by a fresh juice stop for healthy alternatives. Choose restaurants serving home-style food over junk food to keep your trip as much healthy as possible. Ofcourse sweets and treats are okay sometimes, but when there is a possibility of healthier sweet alternatives, why not pick them?
5. Maintain a Fixed Sleeping Regime
Stick to a sleeping schedule whether you’re travelling or staying back at home. Disturbed sleeping patterns can hugely affect your child’s health. Not only it cause a lot of health problems but also it will get a lot difficult for them to wake up and get ready on time once the summer break will end and the school will re-open. To promote adequate sleep, set a wake-up time and bedtime and hold on to that for now and in the future too.
6. Keep Healthy Food Handy
Healthy eating is all about balance. Filling up the cupboard with unhealthy food items makes kids more attracted to that. On the contrary, keeping healthy and nutritious snacks nearby results in children indulging in healthy eating. So, the next time you go grocery shopping, ditch the junk food and load up on healthy & fresh food/beverages. Make water, fresh juices, and dry fruits, easy to grab for them.
7. Commit To Weekly Outings
Create a family ritual to go out weekly, following all the precautionary measures to stay protected from any illness. Bring some change in their daily routine to boost their health and happiness. Go for a picnic, breakfast at some healthy restaurant, museum, swimming, camping, etc. Take a day trip to somewhere new which can be fun and insightful for all and have the best time ever!
8. Avoid Hectic Schedule
Ofcourse you want the children to get rid of boredom and stay occupied in one thing or other to be active. But, don’t forget to overdo and make it hectic for them. Summer breaks are meant to chill not to stress. Planning a hectic schedule can make your child tense. So, to avoid that rather make your little ones laugh. Talk to them more so that they feel listened to and valued.
Final Thoughts
It is important to keep kids active and healthy over the break so that they don’t get glued 24/7 to digital devices and adopt unhealthy habits. Summer vacation is the highlight of the season, especially for the kids, so instead of forcing them to do something, follow the tips that we have highlighted above so that they not only spend the break healthily but also enjoy the core of it.
Just a little planning and you’re all set to have the best time as a family. Let us know if you have any other ideas for other co-parents. We’d love to know and share!