She wants to sit on the couch and watch YouTube for hours. You’d like for her to do anything but. When winter rolls around and the temps get chilly, it can be tough to stay motivated. The key? Encouraging “play” versus “exercise.” When movement is fun, children make positive associations with being active and are more likely to pursue physical activity later in life. And when they’re outfitted with warm, comfortable athletic wear like the pieces from Athleta Girl, it makes getting up and getting out that much more enjoyable. We’ve rounded up advice from our very own PureWow parents for how to keep your kids moving, active and adventurous from now until spring.
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15 Tips to Keep Your Kids Active This Winter, Straight from PureWow Parents
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Published Oct 29, 2020
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Outdoor Ideas:
1. “We live in Los Angeles, so I bought my kids wetsuits and surfboards. Weekends in quarantine are long, so spending a full day at the beach has been key in keeping my kids off the TV on the weekends.”
2. “Buy adult-worthy levels of outdoor gear to ensure they can never once say they're cold. Then, they’ll want to stay outside longer.” (Psst, we love the Athleta Girl Half Time Hybrid Jacket below).
3. “Our kids grumble every time we say we're taking them on a hike, and every time, they say how much they loved it on the way back.”
4. “It always snows where we are, and when it does, we send the kids outside to ‘paint’ the snow. We just mix food coloring and water in a spray bottle and let them go out and have at it. We do bundle them up extra because they never want to come back in.”
5. “Kite flying. It’s the best in winter! I know it sounds like a summer activity, but it’s actually great to do year-round—in the winter it’s pretty blustery so kite flying is often even more fun.”
6. “Something we do at school is Go Noodle movement and mindfulness videos. It allows the kids to move, get up and dance. They find their favorite ones, so we do them over and over. We also make sure to get outside daily, whether it's cold or not, and take a walk or go on a scooter ride.”
7. “Making garlands for birds is something my kids always look forward to. It ends up being a whole half-day activity that we do repeatedly throughout the winter: Inside, we spend time stringing up things like popcorn and cheerios, then we go outside to hang them up and do a little birch watching from the deck (with hot chocolate of course).”
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Indoor Ideas:
8. “Building forts both inside and outside. It’s always fun.”
9. “Purchase an inflatable bouncy house that fits in your basement. GAME CHANGER.”
10. “Register for a KiwiCo subscription box. It’s a solid 30-minutes of active educational time.”
11. “We ordered kid-size tools (real ones, not plastic) so that they can help us with jobs inside and outside.”
12. “One thing we did last weekend was to turn movie night into a full day affair (with more than just looking at a screen): We made popcorn boxes, movie tickets and a homemade popcorn and candy mix.”
13. “Scavenger hunts. They can be super simple. Like, the first clue is, ‘This is where you most frequently eat dinner.’ Then there will be another clue at that spot, and so on. My kids compete and there’s a prize at the end.”
14. “When we can’t make it to our favorite kids’ yoga class, we tune into virtual yoga on social media. Shout out to @karmakidsyoga—peep their IG Story feed for class times.” As for the perfect pair of yoga tights? It's practically Athleta Girl's specialty. Peep the pair below, but be sure to browse their website to see all of their different patterns and styles.
15. “Keep large boxes and break them down to turn them into huge canvases. Lay it out—and tape it up if you have to—so your kids can color, paint and create. The bigger the canvas, the longer they’re entertained.”
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