Exercising during winter can be a challenge, with the dark and cold making sitting somewhere cosy far more tempting. However, it’s important that children are active throughout the cold months to help with their continuous physical development and mental wellbeing.
Here, we share four ways to encourage children to exercise in winter to ensure they stay fit and healthy throughout the year.
A variety of activities
As the saying goes, ‘variety is the spice of life’, so ensuring you have lots of physical activities in mind for the winter period is vital in encouraging children to keep moving during the colder months. A selection of indoor and outdoor options is key, as getting outside in the fresh air on sunny days provides a great health and wellbeing boost.
Indoor activities perfect for winter include swimming pools, climbing walls, indoor obstacles courses, and even soft play. Free indoor options can be completed in the home, such as star jumps, running on the spot, or even push up challenges depending on the child’s age. When the weather permits, head outside for a walk, visit a playground, or play a game of football.
Exercise with others
Exercising with others is usually far more fun than exercising alone, so giving children the opportunity to get active in groups is a great way to encourage them to exercise during winter. P.E. lessons featuring team sports and games is a fantastic example of this, as it coordinating physical activities during lunchbreaks and as part of afterschool care.
Outside of school, football clubs, gymnastic classes, and group swimming lessons all keep children active, you simply need to find something that they enjoy doing which will motivate them to be excited for every session.
Suitable clothing
When it comes to encouraging children to exercise outside during the cold winter months, ensuring they have the right clothing is important. Feeling cold or wet is very demotivating when taking part in physical activities, and this can be prevented through dressing for the season.
Breathable layers are a great option as they trap heat but can prevent people from getting too hot when running around, plus layers can be easily added or removed when needed. It can be a good idea to provide a spare change of clothes for when an activity is over so cosy clothing can be worn following the exercise.
Incentivise
Incentivising children to exercise might not be the first option you choose, but sometimes the promise of a treat is all that’s needed to get them moving during winter. Something as simple as a hot chocolate following a chilly walk or letting them choose the film you watch that evening can be enough to incentivise exercise. Setting up a competition or challenge can also be a great incentive as winning is something that children love to do!
Find more tips for keeping children active on our blog and find out all about the children’s exercise sessions we offer in London and further afield.
