First of all, any mother of a
"Pre-K'r" can tell you that there is no energy shortage when it comes
to this age. They are constantly on-the-go... and that's good!
In many kids, once they
get a couple years older, they hit a slump. They don't care to do anything,
care about anything, or even crave to learn anything. They just don't care, and
sometimes this lack of caring causes other bad habits to form. I can't tell you
what puts them in this slump; I'm not qualified to do that. Nor am I anymore
qualified to tell you how to raise your children... or even keep them "Pre-K'r
active"... but I can tell you how I keep my Pre-K'r on the move. It's
probably not what you would think.
1. Ditched the cable - We're new to this lifestyle, and honestly only miss
it during basketball season. Our DVR was filled with hours and hours of Bubble
Guppies, Peppa Pig, and Big Bang Theory. It was our go-to
whenever we had a spare minute (which tended to turn into hours). We didn't go
completely unplugged, keeping the Internet and precious Netflix... but close
enough.
2. Limit the screen time - In my job (web designer and graphic designer), it is
literally impossible to cut out all screen time. And if I want to accomplish
anything, he has to be distracted. I have taken to single player board games,
like Perfection, and Play-doh. We head outside and play when the weather
permits, but if there is more pressing projects that need accomplished,
distraction works best.
He does have his own tablet, filled
with purely educational apps, however he's so limited on his time on that that
I'm pretty sure he forgets it exists. It definitely came in handy when potty
training though, working like his newspaper to finish "the job."
3. Sports - And lots of them. We have basketball hoops everywhere at my
house. Inside. Outside. In the basement. In the kitchen. I'm talking at least
one for every 100 sq. feet of our house. We hit the golf course together. He
and his dad go to the rec center and play basketball, or random weekday bowling
trips... even bike rides!
Last year, for his birthday, he got
swimming lessons. This year, soccer. You might think it’s a little early to be
hitting practices and games, but he is pretty mature for his age. Besides, it’s
all about the socialization right?
4. Yard work is family time - Raking, digging, mowing, planting, picking up
sticks... even cleaning up after the dogs. It is all about spending time
together and getting dirty. If we are doing it together, not only does it get
done faster, but we accomplish more. We see the fruits of our labor, and in the
case of in the garden, taste them too!
5. We vacation it! When we plan our vacation, we make sure to plan plenty of
quality exercise. We don't vacation in the summer like most
school-agers... ours is in mid-March. We've gone to zoos, to children's and
river museums, and this past March went to a bounce house warehouse. If you ask
him, it's still his favorite thing we did (and since we went on a Wednesday, we
were the literally the only ones there - $5.35 to rent the ENTIRE warehouse!).
We always make sure the hotel (or in some cases, campground) has a swimming
pool and then some. This last vacation, there was an air hockey table,
ping pong and a billiards table... on top of the swimming pool.
So, the next time you say you don't
know how to get your child active, get active with them! Find a hobby to do
together, and then enjoy it together! Trust me, they'll enjoy the quality time
with their parents more than the video gaming and laziness.
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