Motivating Your Children to Activity

In this age of video games and Disney Channel, it can be so hard to move your children from the television set. I have four kids and I struggle with the kids in vegetation state almost daily. My son used to be the only one that moved, but now...we have Call of Duty on PS3...and we are back to the television. I know I am not the only parent who fights this battle. This winter, we established a few things that have really helped the cause around our house...and hopefully, they will help you, too!

Set Expectations and Goals
Setting an expectation with your child goes a long way. No one wants to be surprised with a demand or told to do something "right now" when they are in the middle of doing something else. So, set the expectation with your child that you expect them to move so many hours a day or week. Establish that these will be times they are not sitting in front of the television, or on video games.

Have this initial conversation in the evening, at the end of the weekend, when the child is calm and receptive. Use good timing to introduce the topic like at dinner time, or before bed, when they are less likely to be defensive. Let them know that this week, you expect movement and give them ideas of what that looks like to you.

You will likely have more success getting them to move when the time comes if you have discussed it calmly before. It won't surprise or shock your child when they hear the words, "TV off, please." Nor will they feel like you are trying to just bounce something off of them...they will expect it.

In this process of your initial conversation, let your kids help establish a goal for themselves. Ask them, "Honestly, how many hours of TV, or video games do you feel would be enough?" Or ask, "as a kid, how much time do you think should be spent exercising each day?" Use these numbers to gauge what your child is thinking and where they are coming from. Perhaps you want to let them win this battle the first week you are starting a new habit. Then, as weeks progress, spend a half hour more doing active things, and less time in front of the TV.

Set Time Limits
It is not realistic to ask anyone to go from inactivity to hours and hours of activity. So, start easy. Say to your child, "Remember: TV off 4:00 - 6:00 starting tonight." By putting a time limit on removal of their preferred activity, you are letting them know there will be an end to what you are asking. And who knows, your child may get swept up in what they are doing and forget about the time. Let's hope!

Pick and Activity Your Child Enjoys
The first thing you might hear when you turn off the TV or game system is the phrase, "What should I do?" or the more demanding, "What am I supposed to do now?" Be prepared. Have an arsenal of ideas for them. I recommend not listing thing after thing while they shoot one after the other down. Instead, start this conversation with, "I will give you 5 good ideas...but if they don't make you happy, it is totally up to you." Then list some ideas. Some suggestions are:

- Create a Scrapbook of their year, season or recent holiday
- Make an obstacle course for their bike or skateboard
- Call a friend
- Hopscotch, Jump Rope or Sidewalk Chalk
- Paint
- Wash their bike as if it were a car
- Make a skateboard ramp
- Walk up to the store for their favorite candy
- Prepare a fire in a fire-pit for a family fire later: collect sticks (wait for you to light)
- Start a leaf collection and identify them on the Internet
- Write a book, short story or letter
- Create a scavenger hunt for a Younger Sibling
- Make a racecar track in the sand, dirt or mud
- Make a Barbie land in the backyard with sticks

The list is endless. But be prepared with 5 things that are realistic for your child and things they might enjoy doing.

Get Active With Them
Sometimes, children are lazy because their parents are lazy. Or maybe, they just lack the motivation to do anything alone. If your child is in either one of these places, doing something with them is probably enough to motivate them to move and to get excited about it. Most children want their parents to play with them or spend time with them. But, this doesn't have to be torture for you. Pick an activity you like and bring them along. If it is starting a garden, enlist their help. If you are repainting an old piece of patio furniture, give them something to paint and go crazy with. Have the child do whatever you are doing, or a version of.

This could start a very positive trend, not only of activity, but time together.

Involve Your Child in Planning
If you are embarking on a project, usually it is premeditated. If your child is prone to sitting, ask for them to help you work through the project steps. In preparing for a project, the child may develop an interest in it. Not only that, but ask their opinion. If they believe they have a say-so in the outcome of the project, or direction of it...you may see their interest increase. Then, let them know you would like for them to work on it with you at such and such a time. Odds are, you will have their cooperation, just because they want to be with you - and because they helped plan it!

"Chore Or..."
This is my husbands favorite! It is a last resort for us when we feel like we are playing tug of war with our child (and losing) over activity. We simply lay down the ultimatum, "If you don't do something active...we will give you something active to do (a chore.)" This generally helps them get creative in a hurry. Personally, I like for it to be a little more of a team effort, and fun, at best - educational. But I have to admit, I have used the chore thing. I can't be beside my child playing or hawking them every minute. At some point, they need to use their brain to determine an activity besides vegging out completely - without me.

It's so important in this day, with so many opportunities to be entertained that our children know how to entertain themselves...without the television. Good luck mom and dad creating a lifetime of good fitness habits for your children. And one day, they may even thank us!