Do you know Alexander Hamilton? He was known as the father of the US. He was a man of honor and a lot of qualities as he was a politician, scholar, military commander, banker, economist, lawyer, and an American statesman. Eliza Hamilton Holly was the second daughter of Alexander Hamilton and was the seventh child of the family. She inaugurated the Orphan Asylum Society in New York City and is probably the reason for her popularity other than his father.
How to motivate an inactive child:
As we live in a digital world, our physical activity has reduced drastically, and we are getting less physical and less healthy day by day. Children especially need a physical activity of an hour, which is a minimum limit considered necessary for the proper growth and development of a child.
A minimal activity of an hour daily is crucial for the bones and muscles to grow normally and the joints’ proper functioning. Mental and physical health is improved by exercise, and everybody should take part in healthy activities.
You cannot push your children to exercise or do physical tasks. These days, children are always playing up games on their tablets, mobile phone or are found sitting in front of their computers all day. There is little to no exercise or physical activity in their routine, nor do they think there is a need for exercise.
As a parent, you should try your best to motivate your children to take an active part in exercises and physical pursuits.
Start with your child’s interest:
Ask your child to make a list of things that he loves to do. And don’t get surprised if their answers are ‘playing video games, watching YouTube videos, and watching movies and TV shows, etc.’ because you are going to get answers like these.
All of the answers will start or end with a screen, so the next thing you have to do is modify the question. Ask them to list all the things they want to do if all of their gadgets stop working. Now this will work like magic because they will start thinking of some recreational activities, including physical exertion.
Tick mark all the activities that have physical work in them, even if they include shopping or going to a mall. Take them grocery shopping, and on your way back home, stop in front of a park and ask them to have fun.
Make your children climb the monkey bars. Monkey bars provide a very good exercise for young children; it increases flexibility as well as height.
Think outside the Box:
If your children only want to do indoor activities like playing games and watching videos, it’s time to think of something that is the solution to both the problems.
Ask them to watch the video by sitting on the stability/gym ball. Your child will have to focus on the game and the stability of his body to fall on the ground. This will be the best starting point for physical activity.
If your child loves to draw and does not want to do anything except drawing, hand him the chalk and ask him to draw on the pavement, on the board pinned to the wall. Even if he/she is drawing while standing, it is much of physical activity than sitting because a lot of muscles are working together to make the standing possible.
Take your child to the store and ask him to make houses out of cardboard boxes. Children love to build houses for their dolls or themselves. Let them work under your supervision and show them a life without screens.
Ask your children to try something new, or something they might have seen in the movies like; taking pets to walk, riding bicycles, going for small picnics, drawing on the roads, etc., something that nobody has done before.
Ask them to paint the garage walls with their favorite colors or the pictures of their favorite superheroes. Children enjoy copying their favorite superheroes and are trying to become like them.
Make a superman or a batman costume for your child, and by wearing it, they will run around the lawns pretending like the superpowers.
Find what motivates your child:
There is always something that motivates us to do things that we don’t like otherwise. Like as a grown-up, you would want to have a gym partner to motivate you in the gym. The same goes for the kids; arrange a party, and let the children have fun.
Ask your child to go swimming with his/her friends and let them join clubs with their peers. Take them to sports clubs with you and let them decide what they like. When they see you playing and doing something physical, they will definitely participate in physical exercises and events.
