Keeping your kids healthy requires a team effort. Young children are usually going non stop when they are toddlers and in preschool, but many times when children reach elementary school age, they are taught to sit still in a desk and learn for so long that it is could be incredibly hard for them to remember to be active. Considering that only physical education is required for students in grades K-12 in only six states, you should consider yourself more than just a parent, you should consider yourself your child’s health coach as well. Getting kids active and keeping them active is probably going to take some creativity on your part, which is why kids physical games is an excellent idea. Kids physical games not only give them an opportunity to be healthy, it gives them some competition and gives them a sense of accomplishment after they finish the game. Getting kids together for kids physical games gives them a chance to play against their peers and have fun while staying active. Read below to see some of the benefits of physical activity for younger children.
Balance
Have you ever noticed how younger preschool aged kids and elementary aged kids can be quite clumsy. This is usually because their balance isn’t the best, but with regular physical activity, parents can help increase kids balance and their skills. Kids physical games provide an opportunity for children to grow their muscles, increase balance while running and playing and increase their gross motor skills. Regular daily activities will offer these benefits without your child knowing they are actually exercising, they will be too busy having fun to think about the benefits they are gaining.
Stress
It is no surprise that children these days have a lot of responsibilities in school. This can lead to an increased amount of stress for children even the younger ones. Regular physical activity can help alleviate some of that stress they endure throughout the day. Children’s stress levels can lead to a whole host of other problems, especially when they are left untreated. This can lead to problems with sleep patterns which can cause children to struggle in school, leading to even more stress for younger children. Children who are shown regular exercises on a daily basis are less likely to suffer from stress allowing them to feel more relaxed which could potentially lead to greater self esteem for them. This greater self esteem will carry over into their day to day interactions with other kids, allowing them not only have fun with friends, but make new ones as well.
Healthy
It’s no surprise that physical exercise, such as kids physical games will keep kids healthier, but the benefits are greater than just a smaller waist line. It can help reduce the chances that your child will be plagued with other health problems such as asthma. It strengthens muscles which help eliminate the possibility of sprains to joints. It can reduce the risk of diabetes. Reducing the chances that your child will suffer from any of these ailments means less down time being sick, less school missed, less work missed and less money out of pocket to pay for medical bills.
Blood Pressure
Encouraging physical activity can go a long way to lower the chances of getting health ailments such as diabetes and cancer, but it can also lower something else. Blood pressure is significantly lower when children are encouraged to engage in physical activity, such as kids physical games, each and every day. Frequent exercise is not only good for your heart, but it is good for the blood vessels which are responsible for transporting the blood that your heart pumps throughout your body. Regular exercise encourages flexibility within blood vessels. This, in turn, reduces blood pressure within the body. With regular exercise that is continued throughout their life, your child will be on the path to having a healthy blood pressure that they will never have to worry about. Starting young and staying consistent with your activities is the key to ensuring that your children learn young and continue these exercises into their older years.
You should couple physical activity with a healthy lifestyle. Many people think that a healthy lifestyle means talking to kids about feelings and making sure that they eat properly. These things are incredibly important, but they are not the only thing that constitutes a healthy lifestyle. Sure healthy eating by reducing sugar intake, encouraging healthy snacks, fruits, proper serving sizes and organic micro greens are important, but regular physical activity should be incorporated into this healthy regimen. Encouraging physical activity while your kids are at home rather than just when they are at school is all ways that you can help your kids learn to live a healthy lifestyle. Teaching them while they are young will help them learn to make these things routine, so they are more likely to stick with it once they get older.
Consider creative ways that you can encourage your kiddos to get involved in physical activities. Children should get excited about physical activity in order to get them to fully participate. Consider treating every day as if it is just another day at summer camp. Plan activities for them to participate in. Consider doing these activities in the early morning or in the evening so that they are not outside in the dead of heat. Some summer fun activities can be harder to incorporate during the winter time, but a little rearranging can go a long way to ensure that activities can be fun even in the winter time. With a little planning some competitive and non competitive kids physical games can be played year round. Ensure proper protection for children during the winter time to make sure that they do not get too cold. Just as you would during the winter, you want to protect your children during the summer. Ensure that they have plenty of water to drink while playing. Ensure that they do not get too hot. Know the signs of heat exhaustion in children and know the signs of excessive cold to keep kids safe and ensure that they have fun while engaging in physical activities.
Although it is encouraged to have children participate in physical activity, there are a few things that you as the parent should keep in mind. These things will help you ensure your child exercises to their extent, but not past their extent. Keeping these key points in mind will help your children stay happy and healthy while learning a lifestyle that will keep them happy and healthy. Keep kids safe from injury with these helpful pointers.
Boundaries
It is important to remember that children many times are not aware of their own boundaries. They are constantly going, many times without thinking of how far they are going or how far they are pushing themselves. This can cause injuries many times. Other health issues can contribute to this including ADHD. This can cause kids to act before they think, many times not knowing that they are putting themselves in danger. If they are not stopped and corrected, then they could easily go too far and cause injury to themselves. Consider not only being active with children but actively monitoring them as well. Engaging with children while they are actively engaged in kids physical games is a great way to supervise children to ensure that they don’t over exert themselves while playing. Playing games with them can allow you the opportunity to watch them and redirect them when they start to go overboard. Setting boundaries may not be what you want to do as a parent, and it may receive some backlash from you kiddos, but remember it is important. Keeping consistent with boundaries will help kids stay within safe boundaries so that they can make better informed decisions to help keep them from injuring themselves.
Injuries
No matter how hard we want to protect our children, the inevitable is bound to happen at some point in time. Your child may get injured no matter how persistent you are at engaging, watching them and setting clear and concise boundaries. If your child does end up injured it is important to take proper steps to help them heal from their injuries. Rely on your health insurance to help get your kids the proper care that they need when they are injured. If their injury is serious then getting property emergency care is important to ensure that they are able to heal properly after their injury. Emergency care is vital to determine the extent of the injury. They will recommend further treatment based on how severe the injury appears to be. If you child has an injury that does not appear to be an emergency situation then an urgent care facility may be the best option. These facilities typically provide much of the same care that an emergency room can, but the prices are far cheaper especially with health insurance. The wait time will be significantly less and you can leave with the same information you would get from the emergency room. If your child has an injury that does not appear to need immediate medical treatment, then taking them to their primary care physician, PCP, could be your best bet. Not only does your child’s PCP know them best, but they can recommend the proper course of treatment, be involved with that treatment every step of the way, and provide follow up care for your child and their injuries. Knowing the proper care to get for your child if they are injured will go a long way in helping your child make a full recovery and get back to being physically active and engaging in activities such as kids physical games.
Follow Up Care
There are a number of methods used to help kids recover from injuries. Some of these remedies include the use of braces or casts if there is a broken bone. Stitches or staples may be necessary if there is a gash or a cut. Sometimes just rest, elevation and ice are needed in order for the swelling to go down so that your child can begin using the injured part of their body again. Kids physical therapy may be necessary to regain strength in a body part that has been immobilized for quite some time due to injury. Always remember to follow your doctor’s instructions when it comes to helping your child recover and heal. Even when your child starts to feel better, they must still follow their doctor’s orders to ensure that their injury properly heals. Without proper healing the chances of injuring the same part of the body are increased. Sometimes some of the follow up care may seem redundant or not necessary, but keep in mind that your child’s physician knows what is best for your child. A little extra time spend recovering can keep your child from experiencing the same type of injury over and over again. Once a body part has been injured a number of times, the remedies for treating the injury must change. Sometimes tendons and ligaments get worn out meaning surgical treatment may be necessary in order for the healing process to take place. Following the doctors orders is always the best bet when it comes to an injury from kids physical games.
Physical activity is important for everyone young or old, but as we get older it becomes even more important. It can be hard for older adults to begin an exercise regimen that they want to stick to in order to gain the benefits, but getting kids started at a young age will help set the stage for this. Knowing ways to encourage your kids to become active can get them excited to participate in physical activities such as kids physical games. Once your kids become excited about physical activity they will actually look forward to it. If this activity is performed every day they will come to expect it. This can go a long way as far as holding you accountable. When kids become excited about something and want it, they are more likely to ask for it. This can help keep you the parent engaged and help hold you accountable. It can be easy for someone to tell another adult no they don’t want to exercise, or to make up excuses for why they don’t want to work out today, but telling your kids that is not so easy. When your kids ask for physical activity and ask for you to be a part of it, there is an extra feeling of desire to please your kids. After all if you have to be held accountable by someone, there’s no one better to hold you accountable than your own kids. Together you can create life long memories and traditions that can be passed down to their families as they get older.
