A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Many children are not active today like they were in years past. Physical activity is critical for a child’s growth and development. The following contributed post is entitled, Inspiring Your Child To Be More Active.
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With the draw of video games consoles, movies and television shows, social media, the internet, and many other distractions, it’s easy for a young developing mind to spend much of their time sat in front of screens. That’s not always a terrible thing if enjoyed in moderation and under the watchful eye of their parent deeming what is appropriate, but it’s true that healthier practices exist, and should be cared for.
Inspiring your child to be more active isn’t just about helping them learn about sports, but about being more independent, less afraid of the outside world, and in a word, healthier.
Forcing them to do a sporting class might not be the way forward though, as inspiring a child is just as important as convincing them to do something for their own good. Never fear, because with a little care and attention, you too will inspire your loved one to express the best of themselves.
But what does that look like in practice? In this post, we’ll discuss that and more, and potentially inspire your child to be the best of themselves:
Get Involved & Explore A Hobby Together
When a child knows they’re interested alongside you, and that you’ll be with them as they explore, they may feel so much more motivated to try new activities. Perhaps twice a week you decide to head into the jiu-jitsu gym and watch them take part in learning martial arts, or maybe you’ll head to their violin concerts, or support their team games. Moral support is sometimes all a child needs to grow, and feel confident in trying a new activity. As a parent, you’re in a unique position to give them this in droves, or to help their older siblings pay their moral support, too.
Find A Suitable Activity, Together
Not all activities will be appreciated by your loved one, but one might be their passion for the rest of their life. It might be that you learn the rules and hockey periods of such a fantastic team game together, so you can gauge their taste and see how they like it. The same can go for other activities, like booking in a few musical lessons for guitar, and if that doesn’t take, drums. It’s okay if it takes a little while for your child to feel entirely comfortable with a specific hobby, not everyone is wired for every task.
Share Your Own Passions
It’s true that sharing your own passion can help a child feel inspired, because children tend to latch onto the interests of authority figures or loved ones through osmosis. Perhaps you love putting together realistic models in your basement, or you adore reading in your free time. Sharing that with your child, showing them why you love it so much, or even introducing them to habits you loved at their age can be great. Even if it’s showing them your collection of Batman comics, anything to help them spend less time online and glued to a screen is a good idea.
With this advice, you’re certain to inspire your child to be more active and interested about the world, despite the constant distractions that exist in the modern world.