Fun Ways to Encourage Heart Health
Teach Your Kids the Importance of Healthy Living
In a world of screens, make time to get up and get out this February (National Heart Month). There are tons of ways to improve you and your kiddos' health – small changes, big impact! Make the changes together as a family! Get tips and ideas here for healthy hearts.
Fun Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Exercise
Embrace routine. Kids need routine – make exercise (with a twist of fun) one of yours. Start or end each day with a healthy family competition, but brainstorm new goals every week to keep it interesting. This week, challenge the kids to see who can do the most pushups (winner gets to pick dinner or the weekend movie) and next week see who can wall-sit for the longest to get out of chores for a day.
Family game night. We’re not talking board games – think “movement”. Freeze dance, Twister, musical chairs, and Mother/Father Says (unless your name is Simon) are some great indoor options as well as dance-challenge and kinetic video games. Or take it outdoors for a game of HORSE, hide-and-seek, Double Dutch jump rope, or Red Light Green Light. Consider inviting the neighborhood crew over for a game of tag, Duck Duck Goose or Red Rover. By participating with your kids, you're modeling active fun.
Walk or bike to school. Gather a gaggle of neighborhood kids and chaperone walking or biking them to elementary and/or middle school. Once you’re confident the route is safe and your children can consistently follow traffic rules, consider letting them get themselves to and from school using their own human power. If your routes aren’t safe, consult the National Center for Safe Routes to School to learn how your community and school can partner for improvements.
Seasonal fun. Head outside to have a snowball fight in the winter, to chase frogs in the spring, and to catch fireflies in the summer. (Just be sure to let them go afterward!) Whether you’re a country folk or a city dweller, you can find all of these things nearby.
Learn to juggle. Start off with scarves and work your way up to bean bags or rings, then to juggling pins or real juggling balls. Once you and your kids have mastered the skill part, try to come up with new, fun things to juggle – like bananas or toilet paper,
Ninja warrior course. Turn your backyard into an obstacle course – you don’t have to be a master woodworker to create something fun. Use boxes to create a tunnel, turn pool noodles into hurdles, set up a slack line, use hula hoops for ring jumps – Pinterest has a TON of great ideas! PRO TIP: Make construction of the obstacle course fun time with the family, too, and the kids will appreciate it so much more.
Neighborhood challenge. Once a month, host a neighborhood challenge at the local park or playground to see who can jump rope or hula hoop for the longest period of uninterrupted time. Buy a $5 gift card and make a winner’s trophy to get passed on when someone new wins. Encourage participants to practice regularly so they can take home the trophy at the next challenge. Use SignUp to organize and invite participants!
Fun Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Eat Smarter
Play Name That Food. Cut up a bunch of different fruits and have a blindfolded taste test with the kids. The following week, use a variety of vegetables instead of fruit. The following week, taste test a variety of nuts (check for food allergies first!). Play this game regularly as a great way to try out new heart-healthy foods to incorporate into your regular diet.
Let the kids help with dinner. Plan a simple, heart-healthy meal as a family and then let the kids help prep and cook dinner. Talk about the different foods you’re eating and how you’re cooking them (and how they benefit your heart). Get a list of heart-healthy foods here.
Produce challenge. Make a list of all fruits and veggies with the kiddos. Then make it your goal to try them ALL. Create a visual graph to hang on the fridge so everyone can keep track, and turn it into a fun learning experience for the whole family! What does everyone love? What do they hate? What new dishes can you invent? What are all the things you can dip fruit in?
Grow a veggie & beans garden. Whether it’s outside or in potted plants, create a garden and teach the kids how to take care of the plants. Beans, tomatoes, lettuce, peas and peppers are some easy-to-grow options you can start with. Discuss how these foods grow, the importance of these foods in a healthy diet, and where all of our food comes from.
No matter how you decide to teach your kids to live a heart-healthy life, be sure to participate – kids learn best by example!
