Top five activities to keep your kids active over summer
Christmas in Australia is a great time of year and with the summer school holidays here, it’s time to start thinking about summer activities and how you can keep your kids active over Christmas.
With the onset of Summer school holidays, parents around Australia begin to agonise about how they can keep their kids entertained across the longest holiday period. The last thing you want as a parent is the constant bombardment of “I’m bored” coming from your kids. It’s enough to send any sane parent crazy!
Also, parents don’t want to see their kids inside all day, watching TV or playing on their iPad. It’s very important that kids spend time outside, in the summer sunshine, and spend time exercising and interacting with other kids. The more prepared you can be, as a parent, about your child’s holiday activities, the more likely it is to happen.
Every year, more studies show that an increasing number of Aussie kids are overweight and obesity problems continue to grow. If you don’t teach your kids to develop good habits to stay active, these habits can often stay with them through adulthood.
So what are some activities that will keep your kids active these summer holidays?
1. Give Christmas & Birthday Gifts That Require Physical Activity
We’re fortunate that Christmas in Australia is in summer, one of the best times of year for enjoying outdoor activities. While “exercise” is considered a chore, not all exercise has to be boring. Some of the best exercise parents and kids can gain is the type of exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise at all.
As parents we need to give gifts to our kids that involve them getting outside and having fun. Gifts such as bikes, scooters, skateboards, cricket bats and soccer balls are all great gifts that involve physical activity and give our kids endless hours of fun.
Gifts don’t have to be expensive either with most sporting stores offering relatively cheap entry level equipment that will provide everything your child needs to get started.
Sports gifts are often enjoyed by parents too; simply kicking the footy or playing a game of backyard cricket is a great way for parents to connect with their children and stay active too.
2. Enrol Them in a Sports Camp
Australia has some of the best summer sports in the world and it’s the perfect time to introduce your child to a new sport through Australian Sports Camps and their school holiday programs in Adelaide. Australian Sports Camps offer three day sports camps for kids between the ages of 6 – 16.
For parents, camps can be a cheaper alternative to childcare and at the same time give kids an opportunity to interact with other kids, gain some sunshine and stay active while playing a sport they enjoy.
If you’re at a stage in your child’s development where you’re unsure of which sport they might like to play, Australian Sports Camps offer a great way for kids to try something new and hopefully develop a lifelong love for their chosen game. Cricket, basketball, netball, football, tennis and soccer are just some of the sports on offer.
3. Visit an Indoor Play Centre
Indoor play centres are the type of play centres that parents would have dreamed about when they were kids. These days, kids have so many opportunities to stay active with the increasing popularity of these facilities.
Play Centres throughout Australia provide trampolines, climbing walls, indoor dodgem cars and many more activities that can keep kids amused for hours on end. If your child is also fortunate enough to have their birthday during summer, it can be a great place for a special occasion or for parents to gather with a group of kids.
Parents can also utilise local ice skating rinks, roller rinks, skate parks and other indoor facilities that provide hours of physical activity for kids.
Read about Adelaide’s Indoor Play Centres and Cafes HERE
4. Head to Adelaide Zoo
While we don’t typically categorise a trip to the zoo as intense physical activity, you’d be surprised how much energy your child can burn. Trips to the zoo can often be a long day of incidental exercise with plenty of walking and running to see the animals on show.
The Adelaide Zoo is one of Adelaide’s most iconic attractions and is offering ZOOcation throughout December and January. ZOOcation care is a school holiday program for 5 – 12 year olds between the hours of 9am – 4pm. Kids can spend the day getting to know all the animals as well as have tonnes of fun with adventurous activities, games, animal presentations and time with new friends.
The Adelaide Zoo is also home to a brilliant nature playground which has plenty of equipment to climb and mini trampolines for bouncing, making it suitable for the younger and older kids.
School holiday activities at Adelaide Zoo.
5. Make Exercise a Family Affair
While it’s important for our kids to stay active, it’s just as important that, as parents, we stay active too. Christmas is often the time of year that parents love to over indulge. Christmas food and New Year’s celebrations can be an easy way to put on weight.
Kids love spending time with their parents and there’s no better way to exercise than making exercise a family affair. Adelaide has many beautiful beaches, parks, swimming centres, bike tracks and more which offer plenty of reasons to get out and explore as a family.
Take advantage of those Christmas gifts and get outside and play some cricket, go for a ride or spend hours at the local swimming centre and reap the benefit of spending time as a family and getting fit at the same time.
Find something that the whole family enjoys and even if it’s only for an hour a day, take time to get outside and exercise.
Australian Sports Camps offer three day sports camps for kids aged 6 – 16. ASC have provided the best sports coaching for Australian children for over 33 years. They provide interactive and fun skills programs to ensure that participants improve their game and love for their chosen sport.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
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