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During the summer holidays life at home with children is never easy. Without the need to be occupying them 24/7 there’s everything else a parent needs to do. In today’s society, many children sit on their tablets or phones spending too much time gaming and watching videos. On average, a child of today will spend at least 50% less of their time outside during the holidays, as perhaps we would have done a few years ago. However, while technology is not necessarily a bad thing, or the main reason why children don’t get outside as much, there are things you can do to change this. So if you want to encourage your children to be more active then follow this quick and easy guide. I hope it helps you.
Be open to new ideas
Sometimes it’s easy to just dismiss topics of conversation but this is where a child can get disheartened. Try and have an open mind and be approachable to new ideas. This might be a new hobby then way to try, or something they want to do outside. While you don’t want to go encouraging every idea, as some may not be appropriate, it’s good to keep that line of communication open.
Encourage children to get outside
The next thing you should do is open up the suggestions of heading outside more. If your children aren’t actively wanting to do that make some suggestions yourself. Even if it includes getting outside with them and join in playing a game. Your kids, especially younger ones, are more likely to engage in the activity if you are playing along as well.
Instill a little competition
Sometimes having a few children round at once makes it easier to encourage your child to be more active. This is why, when having a playdate you should try and instill a little healthy competition. Perhaps setting up your own Olympic games, or encouraging teams to keep them all occupied. You could even take it one step further and get a prize for the winner or winning team. You can get many things online like trophies and medals. Some outlets have lots of trophies to choose from so don’t worry about blowing the budget.
Limit screen time
If you are finding it hard to get your children outside the get some ground rules in place and limit the screen time. Even if children don’t get more active limiting the screen time is not a bad thing and better for them in the long run. By doing this you could be giving them no other option but to explore new activities to do. Hopefully this might encourage them to be a little more active with their day.
Give them some confidence
Finally, give them a little confidence to follow their dreams and take up new hobbies. It may just need a little encouragement from a parent to give them the confidence boost they need to pursue something.
I hope this helps you to get your children to be more active.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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