School’s Almost Over—Now What? Keeping Kids Active This Summer

As the weeks fly by and the end of the school year quickly approaches, one issue may be keeping you up at night: how will you keep your children occupied this summer? Here are a few creative, healthy ideas.

Summer camp may be one of the best options. Both day camps and overnight camps offer many benefits, including plenty of physical activity to keep kids healthy and tackle obesity. Organized games and outdoor activities work to build up cardiovascular health and boost muscle strength and endurance. Another advantage of summer camp, of course, is the social interaction, which promotes healthy connections between peers.

If camp is not a viable option, there’s plenty to do close to home. If a parent is at home and available throughout the day, these activities can offer hours of fun:

• Play outside with neighbors or school friends. Parents can take turns watching the kids outdoors.
• Create an obstacle course in the yard, choosing obstacles or tasks that build skills or may take creativity and time to complete. Encourage children to achieve course completion or a faster time.
• Use neighborhood playgrounds. Monkey bars and climbing equipment promote strength, stability and coordination in the body’s upper extremities. Balance beams and hopscotch games promote lower-extremity coordination and balance.
• Play on a small trampoline to build lower-extremity strength while increasing power. Trampolines require adult supervision.
• Explore the block or a nearby playground by bike or kick scooter. Promote toys that require active propulsion (versus powered toys such as Power Wheels). Make sure your kids always wear a well-fitted helmet.
• Together with a parent, practice or learn a game like tennis, soccer, volleyball, baseball or basketball. These sports encourage gross motor coordination and improve a child’s ability to learn a task, all while strengthening the bond between parent and child.
• Take advantage of a local swimming pool. Kids can spend hours playing in water, and water provides good resistance to develop both upper and lower extremities. Pool time provides a great opportunity for making new friends as well!

To encourage lots of physical activity, be sure to place a limit on daily “screen time.” This includes TV, video game and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting media time to no more than 1 or 2 hours a day.

Finally, consider enrolling your children in summer sports. Sports encourage healthy competition and teamwork. As kids build skills and make social connections, they also build self-esteem. For their growing bodies, sports help develop strong, healthy bones and muscles. Be sure to encourage adequate stretching regularly to decrease risk of sprains and strains.

With some planning and creativity, you and your family are sure to enjoy an active, fun summer!

Courtney Rogers is a physical therapist at PacMed’s Canyon Park clinic location. Courtney specializes in the rehabilitation of orthopedic injuries, women’s health, stroke rehabilitation and vestibular dysfunction. To make an appointment or to learn more about Courtney, click here.

May 2011

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