How to Instill a Love of Fitness in Your Kids

Health

Get Them Involved With a Sport and Do It With Them

Imageresult for Get Them Involved With a Sport and Do It With Them

Encourage your kids to get involved with a sport that they enjoy. It’s an opportunity for them to be active, practice nascent athletic skills, as well as learn how to be coachable and work on a team. When they’re young, organized athletics should emphasize fun, play, and learning skills. There will be plenty of time for traveling teams and two-a-days when they’re in high school. So before you sign your kiddo up for a sport, check out a practice or a game. If you see the coaches giving Vince Lombardi-esque, win-at-all-costs pep talks to a bunch of five-year-olds, you might consider another league. While you’re at the games or practices, talk to the parents. Ask about time commitments. If their six-year-old is traveling to different states every weekend to compete, back away slowly and take your kid somewhere else.

Once you find a sport or activity that your child enjoys, get involved with them. Don’t just be a spectator. If your time allows, sign-up to be a coach. If you can’t do that, when you have free time, practice with your child. If your kid is playing baseball or softball, play catch with them. Basketball? Shoot hoops together. If they like running, go on a family run. Again, when they’re young, keep things fun. Don’t turn these father-child sport sessions into drills. The goal is to spend some time with your kid and to show them that even when you’re a grown-up, you can keep playing and participating in sports.

For our family, MovNat (natural movement) has become our shared “sport.” MovNat is a physical fitness method dedicated to helping humans move the way they were designed to move. You learn how to do things like jump, crawl, lift, carry, throw, balance, and hang in the most natural, effective, and efficient way possible. The emphasis is on practical, adaptable movements, done mindfully, and in a variety of contexts.

We signed Gus up for MovNat classes here in town. We liked the idea of starting him off with an activity that emphasizes all-around athletic skill development before he gets involved with a particular sport. He absolutely loves it.

Kate and I decided to get involved and take MovNat lessons for adults, and we’ve both thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that we’re working to get our Level 1 Certification in May.

The great thing about Kate and I taking formal MovNat classes at the same time as Gus, is that we’ve been able to practice this fitness discipline as a family. Many afternoons at the McKay house, you’ll find us jumping from rock to rock in our garden or doing an army crawl across the lawn. Even Scout has gotten in on the action. Anytime she climbs something, she’s “doing MovNat.”

...[ Continue to next page ]