Hi everyone,

A question I saw on the @steemiteducation page got me thinking, How can we get children to be more active?

If your child loves to participate in sports and activities in the community or at school, that is great, but for some children, it can seem like exercise is the last thing on their mind. This does not say anything negative about the child, it just means that the kind of activity that the child has been introduced to is not right for him/her. So the goal is to find something that the child will enjoy, instead of forcing them down the conventional route.

Firstly, we need to figure out the problem. Obviously, the main one being the rise of technology and the grip that it has over young minds, but that is not the only problem. In more cases than you would expect, children are not hesitant to take part in physical activity because they are lazy, but for a multitude of other reasons.

What could these reasons be?

Let's take a few examples and look at them.

• Anxiety. The anxiety rates are, very sadly, rising. Especially in the case of children. There is so much pressure that is placed on young children in certain sports, whether it is coaches who expect the children to achieve unrealistically high feats, or mean children on the team, some individuals would be heavily put off by this, and would rather not take part in any sport than take part in one that makes them feel like they constantly have to be perfect.

• Lack of competitiveness. This may seem silly, but when it comes to team sports, the thing that makes it fun is the competition, and being able to compete against others and improve your skills; but, what if that doesn't seem fun? What if your child isn't competitive? I understand this because I myself was never competitive enough to enjoy school sports. I didn't really mind who won or who lost, I just liked the game. The problem is, winning is all that is valued in most school sports, and there is no time to enjoy the actual game because the focus is on how to be better than one's opponent. This takes the fun out of it for the non-competitive child, and they retreat from it.

• Lack of exposure to a variety of activities. This one is simple, maybe your child shows zero interest in sports, because they have not yet been introduced to one that intrigues them.

Solutions to the problem?

Speak to your child. Find out why he/she is not interested. A mean coach? Find another team. Sport is boring? Take a look at various different kinds of activities, and find ways to make them fun for the child.

Once you have figured out what it is that is making the child hesitant, the solution is the easy part. No one child is the same, so take the time to figure your child out, and help them create their own path. I promise you, doing that is a lot less difficult than trying to force your child down a path they would not like to take.

One of many alternative activities to try with your child:

Yoga

Obviously, as a yoga instructor, this would be my top suggestion, but there is no bias here.

Maybe a little.

Only slightly..

Come on guys yoga is the solution to all.

All jokes aside, I really do think that it is a good alternative to try out. I always hated sports, and because of that I led a pretty inactive lifestyle during school. By chance, an amazing yoga instructor moved to our town when I was in high school, and my mom decided to try it out and take me with. The rest is history! That first lesson changed my life, and fitness became such an important aspect, and still is, 4 years later.

I now teach classes, and in the past year that I have been teaching, I have taught a few young children, and they have thoroughly enjoyed being able to learn about how their body works, things that work for them as individuals, seeing their progress in their fitness levels and flexibility. I have heard the same story from parents, about their children not being interested in physical activity whatsoever, until they tried yoga.

I'm not trying to get you to join some kind of yoga cult, so don't worry about that, but I am using it as an example to show you that introducing a child to an alternate form of exercise can really be beneficial, and open their eyes to a world of possibilities.

Some pics from my classes!

Lastly,

Once you have figured out your solution, don't let any limitations discourage you. If you live in a small town that doesn't have many alternative options of activity, go online! You can find classes for almost anything!

And most importantly, keep it fun! Make sure your child knows that you are trying to work with them, and that you value their opinion. If they make suggestions, try to accommodate! This will not only encourage them and make them more willing, but it will show them that their opinion is valid and important, and that is an important thing to learn in life.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and if you have any other advice for parents and children, feel free to leave it in the comments!

Have an awesome day further.