Tag Archives: physical fitness

Child Fitness, Discipline, Fun Activities, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Summer Games To Play With Kids In The Garden And Pool

Mark, guest contributor

When the temperature rises and the sun makes you feel like you’re about to melt, a dip in the pool is the best way to cool yourself and enjoy the holiday with the family. And if you think that the pool can’t be used for anything but swimming, think again, as both the pool and the garden can represent great playing fields for summer games in which fun is guaranteed.

Just make sure to secure your garden by removing anything you can step on – from small garden tools to rakes. Also, it is advisable to secure your pool with pool fencing (which is mandatory in Australia mind you) and to make sure no one can slip around the pool, all of which is done in order to avoid any unnecessary accidents, especially for children.

Next, we’ll show you 10 games that can be played in these two environments. These games are intended to help you and your child stay fit, all the while bonding and having fun:

1. Filling Buckets

For those who are fans of competitions, this game just can’t be ignored. You will need at least two players without counting yourself. Each child or team will be provided with one empty bucket of water and one plastic cup in advance. The challenge is to fill the empty bucket with water from the plastic cup. The first team that fills their bucket wins.

2. Limbo Under Running Water

The garden hose will be of great help in this situation: turn on the water and set the jet to its strongest setting. The little ones will have to go under running water without touching it. Slowly, lower the hose down. The winner will be the one who will be able to go on running without touching the hose, or rather without getting wet. The losing team will be easy to spot – they will all be wet!

3. The Wet Sponge Game

Wet a bigger sponge and offer it to your children as ball to play with. One child, designated by you, will have to throw the sponge at the others. The child or family member touched by the sponge will be next in line to take it and start targeting the others. This is a summer variant of “tag, your it” game.

4. Ducks vs. Hunters – The Garden Version

The wet sponge can also serve for a game of “ducks vs. hunters”. In this case, two children will be sitting on the opposite sides (they are the hunters) and throw the sponge at each other while trying to hit the children that are between them (they are the ducks). The first and last “ducks” touched by the sponge become hunters in the next game. This, as you may have recognized, is dogeball – but a safe, fun, and refreshing version of dogeball!

5. Ducks vs. Hunters – The Pool Version

Ducks vs. hunters can also be played in the pool using sponge or a ball. The rules are the same, only the environment changes.

6. Marco Polo

A version of “hide and seek” played in the water. One of the children will be Marco Polo. He will have to shut his eyes and count to 10 while the other players spread around the pool. After Marco Polo finishes counting, he has to touch another player with his eyes closed. He will yell “Marco” and the other participants must respond with “Polo”, so he can estimate where they are at the moment. When another child is reached, he or she becomes Marco.

7. Treasure Hunt

Spread the coins at the bottom of a swimming pool and give your children a back story for the epic treasure hunt. Until you count to 10, they must return to you with as many coins as possible. The one who gathered the most coins wins.

8. Baton (version 1)

For children who already know how to swim, teaching them baton will be easy as 1-2-3. The game is another version of the popular relay race, but played in the water. The two teams line up at the entrance to the pool, and when they are given the green light to start, one child from each team jumps into the water with a little ball in his hand (or the other relay set) and swims to the other side of the pool. The other two competitors start after the first are done. The team with the highest amount of victories is declared winner.

9. Baton (version 2)

Another way to play relay race is by placing the children at set distances along the pool. Each team will basically form a “column”. Whoever gets to start first has to swim along the pool with the ball in their hand until they reach a teammate and pass the ball over. In turn, the other kid has to do the same thing, and so on until the last member of the team reaches the pool’s end with the ball in hand. The team that gets the ball to the pool’s end first wins the game.

10. Water Basketball

Find or improvise a ring which will float on water. Make sure that its size is a little larger than the ball you choose for the game. Children will be divided into several teams and the team who manages to throw the ball in the ring most of the times win. The fun part here is that the ring moves over the water but the game may be though of as water basketball.

I hope you will have awesome family fun with the help of these tips for great summer games. I know I will!

——

Mark is a father of two great kids whom he wants to grow up in equally great people, so he teaches them important life lessons while he still has influence on their development.

Child Fitness, Fitness, Self-Discipline, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Key Elements of Physical Fitness

The idea of physical fitness may conjure up visions of workouts at the gym or an early morning run for most adults. But for children fitness and exercise really means playing and being active in all their activities.
In effect, children are exercising any time they are participating in sports, riding bikes with their friends or just playing at the park. Martial arts training is a great way to incorporate this type of activity in your child’s daily routine.
The problem is that our children aren’t as physically fit as they used to be. Childhood obesity and prolonged periods of sedentary behavior are just the tip of the media related iceberg that our kids are literally sitting on. The average child watches 2 to 4 hours of television combined and spends increasing extended periods on computers and electronic games every day.
So, what’s the solution to this growing fitness void? As a parent you can help your child to identify and develop these keys to physical fitness:
  • Strength
  • Endurance
  • Flexibility
Strength: children can build physical strength through formal exercise programs, weight lifting, wrestling and other activities. Martial arts classes are designed to incorporate the strength building elements of all of these activities through systematic training and repetition.
Endurance: is a result of building the body’s ability to perform increasingly longer periods of aerobic activity such as running, swimming or bicycling. This activity boosts physical fitness levels by strengthening the heart and improving its ability to deliver oxygen to the blood.
Flexibility: is gained through stretching and flexing joints and muscles which helps your child bend and move fluidly without injury. Martial arts training is an excellent way to gain and maintain this flexibility and overall physical fitness through regular practice and repetition of movement and forms.</div
Child Fitness, Child Health, Fitness, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Benefits of Physical Fitness

As parents we want to encourage our children to make physical fitness and healthy activity a daily priority. Like a healthy diet, adequate sleep and good hygiene, physical activity should be a routine part of their daily lives.
All the experts agree that regular physical activity has significant health benefits. But just what are they and how can they benefit my child?
Here are just a few of the many benefits of physical fitness:
· Increased cardiovascular health
· Better muscle strength and endurance
· Flexibility
· Weight maintenance
· Stress management
Cardiovascular Health: Physical exertion or aerobic activity helps to make the heart function more efficiently to reduce the likelihood of high blood pressure and the build up of excess fat deposits in the arteries. Believe it or not heart disease and high cholesterol have been detected in children as young as 3!
Muscle Strength and Endurance: Strong muscles help prevent injuries and protect the joints in addition to improving your child’s overall endurance and general fitness level. Exercise that builds core muscle strength not only improves endurance and joint stability but increases lung capacity. Martial arts training is an excellent way to help your child build overall strength and endurance.
Flexibility: Fitness activities that encourage your child to bend and twist help them become more agile and enable their bodies to move through a full range of motions without injuring their joints or muscles or over exerting themselves. Exercise routines like those practiced in Martial arts classes and school fitness programs can help.
Weight Maintenance: Physically fit children have normal amounts of body fat, a much lower incidence of diabetes, faster metabolism and a more balanced appetite. Encouraging your child to balance sedentary pursuits with physical activities will help them develop lifelong healthy habits.
Stress Management: As parents we deal with multiple stresses every day, often unconsciously. It would rarely occur to us that our child may experience stress, or that they are ill equipped to recognize or deal with it. You can help your child to recognize symptoms of stress such as headaches, loss of appetite, and muscle tightness and alleviate it with physical activity.
Physical fitness can be fun and easy to achieve for the whole family. The benefits of physical fitness and improved health can’t be under estimated. As parents we can be effective role models for our children. Plan some family activities such as bicycling, walking, and sports such as martial arts training and start your family on the path to long term health and fitness.
Child Fitness, Child Health, SYN Digital Enrollment Director

Helping Your Child Get Fit

Now what, you ask? I understand that physical fitness is a critical element of my child’s well being and happiness. But how can I motivate them to get off the couch and get active?
The following tips can assist you in helping your child to make lasting lifestyle changes that will help to keep them fit and active:
  • Limit time spent watching television and non-homework related computer exposure. Encourage your child to get outside, walk the dog, or help with chores.
  • Turn family time into fun physically active times together. Take a walk, ride bikes or play a family game of soccer.
  • Encourage participation in after school fitness activities and programs such as martial arts classes or community sporting events.
  • Get involved in your child’s activities both during and after school. Help your child to channel their energy into positive activities that boost not only their physical fitness but also their self-esteem.
  • Prepare healthy meals and snacks for the whole family and teach your child the basics of good nutrition by example.
  • Help your child to find and try new activities. Help them to experiment with different kinds of sports or games until they find the things they love to do. Any kind of physical activity promotes fitness.
Above all encourage your child, and the whole family, to have fun! Physical fitness and good health are easily achieved through a balance of well established good habits like daily exercise, good nutrition and healthy social interaction.
Consider enrolling your child in a trial series of martial arts classes to see if might be a good fit for them. You’ll be amazed at the increase in their physical fitness level, self confidence and positive mental attitude!