Being able to develop a love for exercise and staying active in children can help parents to ensure that not only are they monitoring their child's weight but improving their mental and physical well-being, supporting heart health, bone strength, and muscular fitness, to name a few benefits. But not only this, instilling healthy habits when children are young will stick with them into adulthood and ensure they know how best to care for themselves as they get older.

So how can you as parents instill the importance of staying physically active in children, and what are the best ways to stay active7? For starters, one of the best ways to encourage children to be active is to lead by example; if they see you doing it, then they will likely follow suit. The next best way is to let them find the appropriate hobby for themselves and not force them into it. There is a massive emphasis on sports in the American education system, and while there is nothing wrong with this, pushing your child to do a sport or activity they don't enjoy will likely have the opposite effect. When it comes to dance lessons for couples, that could be something fun that you have in common.

With this in mind, read on to discover some of the best activities to help keep your child healthy and active.

Cycling

If your child isn't the most sporty or prefers not to play sports, then encouraging them to get on a bike and cycle to school or find trails to ride on can be a great alternative. Many places have cycle routes for cyclists, and you can follow biking trails in your local neighborhoods or scenic routes. Remember to buy protective equipment for your young biking enthusiasts to keep them safe on the road and have them enroll in a cycling proficiency course so they know how to act when driving around traffic or in busy areas so they are safe at all times.

Swimming

Swimming is the perfect low-impact activity that all kids can enjoy any time of the year; from outdoor swimming parties and cooling off in the pool or swimming indoors during colder temperatures, spending just 30 minutes in the water per day swimming or even exercising can be extremely beneficial. For younger children, playing in the water can be both fun and healthy, providing a great way for them to burn off extra energy. Investing in a backyard pool or building a pool at home can be an excellent way to encourage kids to stay active and engaged in outdoor activities. When it comes to constructing a home pool, it's important to work with a reputed pool-building firm like Premier Pools & Spas (visit https://premierpoolsandspas.com/locations/ to learn more about them), which can ensure the safety and quality of the installation, allowing kids to safely enjoy the water and reap the healthy benefits of swimming.

Hiking

If your child likes to get out and about in the great outdoors, hiking can be a great activity to have them try. Not just walking, which itself is a great way to stay active, but taking on challenging terrains and scenic routes and experiencing life outdoors in all its glory while participating in an exercise that doesn't strictly feel like exercise.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a great exercise for children to help them retain their flexibility and support their body as it grows by knowing how to move correctly and maintain good posture to support movement and flow as they learn different moves and gymnastic abilities. Be it tumbling, bars, beams, or vault work; you can find a club like South Shore Gymnastics that can help your child reach their full potential and give them a physical activity they can really enjoy.

Dancing

Dancing is such a vague activity, but that is why it is perfect for anyone and everyone. From getting your kids dancing with you in the kitchen to learning new viral dance trends, playing dance games on game consoles, or joining a dance class, there are so many ways to enjoy this type of movement that you can be guaranteed to find something they enjoy. Be it line dancing, ballroom dancing, street dancing, ballet, or tap, for example, it doesn't even matter if they won't be pursuing it to a professional level as long as they enjoy it and want to do it regularly.

Conclusion

The trick to getting your child to stay active and build healthy physical exercise habits is to not make it feel like a punishment, much rather something they have fun doing. This way, you can help them build long-term sustainable practices that help to keep them happy and healthy from childhood into adulthood. Whether they join a gym as soon as they are old enough, join a school sports team, or find a different activity to participate in, it doesn't matter what they do, just that they do it.