Let’s look at some ways to get your kids moving indoors.
1.One way to get your kids moving indoors is to assign them regular chores and then hold them to it. Yes, groans of dismay will arise to the heavens. But you know what they say—chores are good for kids, and good for parents. Chores teach responsibility and move kids from the couch into a more productive arena. It needn’t all be gloom and doom, though; setting up a reward system is a great way to get your kids to fulfill their responsibilities with a sense of purpose and fun.
2.Another way to get your kids moving indoors is to allow them to participate in preparing dinner. Don’t roll your eyes! I know that this may seem like simply another way of imposing chores on your children, but it doesn’t have to be—it can be fun. It’s always a good thing to know how to cook, and people might as well learn at a young age. What you want to do, though, is really get your kids involved from the ground up. This means seeking their input on what sounds good for dinner. If they can list their favorite foods, and then shop with you to find the ingredients, and then actually prepare and cook the foods, they’re more likely to (a) eat healthily, (b) appreciate their dinner, and (c) become good cooks, a skill that will help them in college and beyond.
3.Encouraging your kids to play other sorts of games besides video games will help them to get moving indoors. Now, playing checkers or Monopoly may not seem like serious exercise, and it isn’t. They are activities, however, that encourage creative thinking, sportsmanship, and intelligence. It might be a good idea to go to the toy store together and pick out some new games that seem fun and exciting. The idea in all of this is to work with your kids in getting them to move around indoors. You don’t want to force them to do X or Y, so that moving around indoors becomes a chore instead of an activity.
4.How about asking your kids if they’d like to redecorate their rooms? Not only will they be moving indoors, they’ll be using their thinking skills and aesthetic instincts (primitive as those might be right now) to rearrange their world to more fit their idea of what it should be. This doesn’t have to be an expensive process, either. We’re talking about moving a bed from one side of the room to the other, buying a cheap lamp, creating posters on the computer, etc. Tell your kids that they should feel free to express themselves and try to get at the heart of who they are by how they choose to decorate their room.
5.This one will seem a little exotic, but pets are a good incentive when it comes to trying to get kids to be more active indoors. Indoor pets can be a nuisance, but only when they’re neglected. Imagine the excitement and wonder your kids would experience if you allowed them to pick out their own indoor pet—on the condition, of course, that they’d feed it, care for it, play with it, and clean up after it on a daily basis. Again, this idea would involve some expense, sacrifice, and commitment on your part, but your kids would find it a great reason to get away from the TV and focus on something that requires the involvement of their minds and bodies.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to