Extracurricular athletics have so many advantages for the kids who participate in them. They drive better health and wellness through regular exercise, teach kids about sportsmanship and losing and winning gracefully, and often lead to new friendships and a sense of community. But did you know that if a child in your family is playing a sport, it can be a chance for you to help your entire family get healthier? At least, that’s the case if you know how to make the best use of the opportunity.
Motivation for Better Fitness for Everyone
We’ve all had times when we saw a friend or family member getting into better shape and felt that little push. Call it envy or call it competition, but when we see someone else improving their fitness, we want to improve ours too.
The same thing can happen in your family too. If you have one child who has started playing a sport and has been able to run faster and jump higher, or has lost weight or developed more muscle tone, you and your other children will notice too. It can be the dose of motivation you all need to make some positive changes of your own.
Family Bonding Over a Healthy Activity
One of the largest factors that families maintain a healthy relationship and strong communication even as kids get older is a shared interest throughout the family. When one of your kids is playing a sport, it’s an opportunity to bring everyone together.
You can go to their games as a family to cheer them on. You might even find that the entire family starts to be more interested in the sport after watching your child’s games. Whether it’s soccer, baseball, football, or whatever the sport may be, you might find that it makes you each more interested in the professional leagues too and leads to a healthy family hobby you can enjoy for years.
Opportunities for Family Exercise Sessions
Your child’s sport can provide an excellent excuse to get the entire family to exercise together. Let’s say your child is playing soccer, for example. You can bring the family out into the backyard to kick a soccer ball around together. It helps your child hone their skills while giving everyone else some exercise and fresh air.
You can do this in a similar way with nearly any sport. You might even find that your other kids develop an interest in playing the sport too.
Taking Advantage of a Family Fitness Opportunity
Encouraging exercise and healthy habits for your family can be tricky for any parent, especially in our technology-heavy world. If one of your kids is playing a sport, it opens a door for you to spread health and fitness for your entire family, but only if you take advantage of the opportunity. Use the tips above to turn one extracurricular activity into a healthier family for life.
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