Top Four Tips to Keep Kids Active this Summer

You may have noticed the odd scene in today’s technology: little children can fully operate and watch cartoons on tablets, and confused adults are wondering how their two-year-old unlocked their smart phone. An American study by The Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that young people spend an average of seven and a half hours a day on entertainment media. 

This is shocking!

Do you remember the days when you were outside all day during summer holidays? You might have been flying down the neighbourhood hills on bikes, playing sports (with made-up rules), exploring plants and bushes and eating the dirt beneath them.

However, research from award-winning environmentalist and scientist, David Suzuki, shows that today only 70% of Canadian teenagers and young adults aged between 13 to 20-years-old are spending an hour or less outside every day. 

Here are our top four tips to keep your kids active this summer:

1)    Give your kids a choice. If your kids aren’t too keen on outdoor activities, give them a choice between two. They will have to pick one or the other and will feel empowered that they had power in the decision. (This also works with other things you want your kids to do. Really, try it!)

2)    Play on your children’s strengths. Let your kids go to town on outdoor activities they love to do and leave the other not-so-loved activities by the door.

3)    Walk instead of taking transport. If your children are going to meet their friends who live a few blocks away, show them a shining example by walking them to their destination vs. driving.

4)    Pick a new, exciting outdoor event. Novelty is fun. Try something fresh and fun with your children. How about taking outdoor activities from your back garden to the river! We have a ton of exhilarating white water rafting trips suitable for children. They will love the change from their daily activities and you will love the serenity and quiet on your drive home from the trip.  

What is the strangest/coolest outdoor activity your child partakes in? Leave us a comment! We will post our favourite on Twitter.