Yes! School is out for the summer and we are definitely doing a happy dance around our house. Summer is all about no schedules and laid back fun, but it’s important that we keep our kids active.
We are so blessed in Catawba County to have an abundance of resources to keep our children active throughout the school year and summer is no exception. Hickory Macaroni Kid is your “go to” place for summer fun and Stretch-n-Grow of Catawba County has some great tips and tools for you.
Unfortunately, we are raising our children in an age where inactivity is prevalent, fast food is the easiest choice and technology is always only a fingertip away. Did you know that one in three children in Catawba County is overweight or obese and much of that is due to poor food choices and most concerning, a dramatic increase in screen time, even in young children? The American Heart Association recommends that we keep our children active for at least 60 minutes a day. Please limit your child’s screen time to less than two hours and use some of these tips and tools to stay active:
- Model activity and healthy food choices for your family. Guess who your children watch the most? You! Even when you think they aren’t watching, they are. Make family fitness and healthy choices a priority. Model that you are drinking water, eating fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains and lean proteins. Prominently display MyPlate in your kitchen and ask your children to help you build your meals. For family fun, create sticker or incentive charts with different fitness and nutrition goals.
- Limit screen time. Children older than two should be limited to two hours or less of screen time a day (this includes hand held devices). Children younger than two should have ZERO screen time. Establish a summer routine of trading healthy behavior traits for screen time, ex: 30 minutes of physical activity earns 30 minutes of screen time.
- Create a daily, FUN active routine schedule. The best part of summer is having a slower schedule for our families, but we still need to create some routine for physical activity. Here are some great ideas:
- Have you ever skated on paper plates around your living room? No? GO… DO… it’s awesome!
- Have an indoor snowball fight with cotton balls on those super, hot days. All that squatting and throwing is a sure fire way to get your heart rate up.
- Create an indoor obstacle course where you zig zag around teddy bears, lunge over step stools, army crawl through chair legs and jump on bubble wrap.
- Take an old pool noodle, cut into thirds and use it to keep balloons in the air. Or, pretend it’s a horse and gallop around your house.
- Best of all, we guarantee that if you put on, Justin Timberlake’s, “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, an instant dance party will erupt in your living room.
- Use local community resources. Catawba County is beyond blessed to have many groups invested in keeping our kids healthy and active. Macaroni Kid has a great resource list and SNG of Catawba County is community partners with many incredible groups, such as The Catawba Valley YMCA, Foothills Gymnastics and Hickory Academy of Martial Arts. Also, take advantage of free opportunities that occur at our libraries and Vacation Bible Schools.
We hope you’ll consider giving Stretch-n-Grow of Catawba County the opportunity to keep your kids active and healthy this summer! Our camps and classes are age appropriate, educational and are so much fun that the children don’t realize they are exercising. Join us this summer for:
- Summer Camps – weeks of June 26th , July 10th and July 17th. Each camp includes daily Stretch-n-Grow fitness classes, fitness games, quality crafts, healthy snacks, yoga, literature and nutrition education. These camps are for children that are 3 to rising 1 st graders (must be potty trained).
- ~New~ FITNESSplay – a 90 minute fitness drop off opportunity at the Hickory Foundation YMCA, for members and non-members. On most Tuesdays and Thursdays this summer, you can leave your 3-6 year old with us from 9:30-11am. Each day includes an SNG Class, games, craft and free play in our SNG Room. $12 per day ($10 per sibling).
You can register or find more information at www.stretch-n-grow-foothills.com (Parent Portal Page) and if you have questions, please give us a call. If we can’t keep your child active, we promise to help you find someone who can! As we tell all our students, please remember to make your heart happy and healthy every day through fitness, nutrition and KINDNESS.
Live Well,
Hilary May, Director
828-302-5236
hmay@stretch-n-grow.com
