Finding a Program That Works
The key to making fitness click is to find an activity your child enjoys. That may sound like a no-brainer, but it can take a lot of trial and error, time, expense, and frequent frustration to find that one sport or combination of activities your child can really get enthusiastic about. There are ways to whittle down the list so the task isn't so overwhelming. First, ask her what she might be interested in trying out. Then, think about her personality traits, and figure out what sports or activities might be a good match for the way her mind works.
Which of the following is your child:
Goal-oriented? Something that offers measurable results, such as weight-training, cycling (with an odometer), or walk-ing/running (with a pedometer) may be a good choice.
Impatient? Long, drawn-out games like golf and baseball/softball are probably not going to be a hit. Try wrestling, swimming, inline skating, or even track events like shot put.
Self-conscious? Individual instruction, or group instruction with an individual focus, may be fitting (examples might be dance, martial arts, or fencing). She can also try at-home exercises like walking, jump rope, and mini-trampoline.
Competitive? Then a team sport, or an individual sport that has an option for competitive meets, may be for her.
Don't invest a lot in equipment or uniforms until you're sure your child is enjoying the activity. Either rent or buy secondhand for those essentials such as safety helmets and pads that can't wait. You can find more information on safety and sports gear in Chapter 11.
Sampling a variety of sports and activities can get expensive. Many martial arts academies and dance and gymnastics schools offer a free trial lesson. If a freebie isn't available, find out if you can pay for an individual class before committing your time and money to anything longer.
Make It Fun
Two keys to a lasting love of fitness in your child are variety and fun. Without them, your kids are bound to get bored. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to inject some entertainment value into family physical fitness. For example, try these activities for almost-guaranteed excitement:
Build some barriers. Make your own backyard obstacle course.
Race. Have a big family? Run some relay races. Or try those old picnic favorites, the sack race or the three-legged race.
Get wet. Choose teams and lob water balloons. In the winter, have a snowball fight.
Hoop it up. Challenge your child to a hula-hoop contest.
Go hunting. Have a scavenger hunt with a list of unique outdoor items — fastest team wins.
Skip and jump. Brush up on your old jump-rope rhymes, or draw a challenging hopscotch path to compete on.
Choose sides. In team activities, pit the parents against the kids (with the appropriate handicapping to make it fair) or make it a girls versus boys event.
The park can provide an afternoon of active fun for younger children
Family Time
Depending on your child's age and personality, she will either find it incredibly entertaining or deathly embarrassing to have you trying out new fitness activities alongside her. Younger kids will probably enjoy one of the many parent/child fitness classes offered at local community centers and YMCAs. If classes aren't an option, try biking (or triking), swimming (or running through the sprinkler), or hiking (or walking around the neighborhood park).
If your preteen or teen is going through that embarrassment stage, you may ease her mortification by opting for active outings that are out of the public eye, like hiking and canoeing. She may also prefer to do some solitary workouts, and that's fine too.
