How to get child.moving

[Anonymous]

My 8 year old loves to sit around and read or watch video games. I need him to move more and I need some ideas on how to do this. He doesn't have siblings and theres only one kid on the street his age so he fights me if I tell him go play outside. He has a bike,a scooter, scakeboard, swing set, but again will not use them on his own. The school does not have afterschool activities. What can I do?

[Anonymous]

Sign him up for activities after school.

[Anonymous]

Um sports?

[Anonymous]

Is this a trick question? Sign him up for a sport.

[Anonymous]

Go with him. Joint bike ride. Of you walk while he scooters or skateboards.

[Anonymous]

Of course he doesn't want to do this stuff on his own! You have to do it with him.

[Anonymous]

Do something with him:
evening walks together
bike rides
hikes
family swims
etc.

Have him pick an activity to sign up for:
swim classes/team
sports
martial arts
gymnastics
parkour
hip-hop
fencing
etc.

take him to activity places (maybe as a playdate with a friend):
playgrounds
skate parks
bounce places
climbing gyms
rope courses
bowling
mini-golf
etc.

Get him a screen-based activity system. My kids (now grown) had Wii Sports, but I’m sure there’s something new and improved now.

Use Youtube. There are tutorials and exercises for EVERYTHING, including some designed for kids.He can try different things out in the comfort of his home and then sign up for classes if he finds something that interest him. I would suggest at least light supervision, both because of the possibility of him finding questionable content on Youtube and also so that he doesn’t attempt any activities that could harm himself or nearby furniture that might get in the way. Some things he can explore:
Any and all kinds of dance (Haka, Tap, HipHop, Air Walk, Shuffle dance, etc)
Any and all kinds of martial arts
Yoga
Pilates
juggling
aerobics
calisthenics
jump rope tricks
etc.

[Anonymous]

my kids do
- basketball team
- lax
- flag football
- swim team
- tennis lessons
They have to read 30 min a day too

[Anonymous]

Pick some stuff from the above and get rid of the video games.

[Anonymous]

Sign him up for activities after school. My kid does swimming and RunFitKidz. There's martial arts everywhere, for instance. My kid attends aftercare at the school and they basically have gym or recess for an hour.

Of course he's not going to just do stuff solo, it's boring. Get outside and play with him and arrange play dates with other families. My 7 year old is obsessed with "dance parties" where he'll just run around the basement doing these wild dances to stuff like Kpop Demon Hunters but he does want participants.

[Anonymous]

Basketball hoop - outdoor or pop a shot. Or soccer goal. If you have a DH push him to throw / kick a ball around at least once a week.

Nerf gun - my only with run around the house like an idiot shooting stuff with nerf even on his own

Sports - if you sign him up for basketball or soccer maybe it will spark an interest and he will practice solo at home. Swimming, mixed sports classes, and soccer are also good.

[Anonymous]

Can you arrange with the other kid’s family to have a standing “play outside” play date every week?

[Anonymous]

What everyone else said, sign him up for sports... it's kind of a no-brainer (with a caveat of - it costs money and takes your time)... realistically, sports make him move and team sports teach him to work with others. Both my kids love to read and play with Lego and do other "nerd" stuff, but they are also in travel sports and spend a lot of time running. I think it's important to have both.

[Anonymous]

Even if your kid isnt a team sports person you can find activities. Instead of a basketball team sign up for a basketball clinic where they go to the rec center once week but dont compete. Or look for martial arts, swim, rock climbing, etc where you're just taking classes.

You can go to a rec center with your child and use the pool, wall the track, whatever they have available.

Meet friends at a playground.

Go for family bike rides.

Go to a hiking trail.

This isnt hard but you do have to guide it he wont get there on his own.

[Anonymous]

Get rid of the screens.