Motivating your kids to stay active can be more challenging than ever. The distractions from screen time, lack of interest, or lack of time all play a role in preventing kids from being active. We will cover a few ideas to get back on track.
Identifying Barriers to Motivating your Kids
Creating a positive experience of running is a great way to get them interested. But there are challenges you could face even after starting to create a habit of being active. Ultimately, there are signs of things slipping off of the rails.
Here are a few things to watch out for:
- Too much screen time: Technology seems to consume kids at a young age. The TV, video games, and mobile devices create a time-consuming distraction. Be aware of what your kids have access to and for how long to understand the problem.
- Busy Schedules: Family or friend commitments can seem to consume most of the weekend time and make it difficult to focus on being active. It’s tough to mange this, but easy to identify.
- Limited Access to Fitness Areas: If you’re not close to a park or running path, it’s just going to be tough to make it a habit. Inconsistent weather, making time to drive, or even inadequate areas can reduce interest.
- Lack of Interest: Running may not be for all kids. Or maybe even physical activity. If your kid isn’t around physical activity, doesn’t have a someone to look up to, or has stronger interests in other activities, they may just not have any interest.
Now what?
The first step is identifying the problem. Once you see what the trend or issue is, it’s figuring out how to take action in a way that your kid will go along with. I have a two year old that decided he no longer wants to spend time with daddy. He’s not yet at an age where he is running, but being active at the park is a good habit to establish. Always make sure you clear things with your doctor. My two year old started throwing tantrums and did not want to go to the park with me.
The first step with kids is definitely some patience. Granted my son is two, there is not much reason at the age of two. But patience will go a long way. So will observation and asking questions. Try to understand what the lack of interest is and what you can do to gain interest. I saw him playing frequently with a toy train. It led me to questions about his trains, where it was going, and what sounds it made. I realized his love of trains was a motivating factor, so I took him to a park across the street from a train line. You can see trains go by from a distance while sitting on a bench in the park. He loved it and wanted to go back.
Things to Try for Motivating your Kids
There are a few things to try that worked for me. I can’t make any promises, but maybe this could spark some initial ideas:
- Be patient: Trying to push to hard will probably not work immediately. Pressing, apply guilt, or making demands probably won’t work either right away. Put in the time to understand the situation.
- Listen and observe: See what your kid is doing on a regular basis and asking questions can help show you care and understand more about the situation.
- Be prepared to try another time: The park, hiking trail, or running path may not be in the cards that day. Be prepared to try again another day.
- Find that activity: Not all kids are made to be runners. Maybe their interest is walking, hiking, or yard work. (Wouldn’t that be great?) It’s more important to be active in some way rather than force kids to be active by running.
Motivating your kids to be active can lead to healthy habits. But sometimes it’s not in the cards. Make sure you can identify the distraction, why it’s happening, and how to approach the situation. Be prepared to try something else another day. Motivating your kids is not easy, but with some patience it can go a long way! Happy running.