Questions and answers - help with getting your kids active

Here are some common questions and answers; you might find something that you wanted to ask here.

I’m not good at physical activity, so how can I help my kids?

Kids look to grown ups as role models, so it’s still important that you support being active, even if you’re not. By motivating your kids to get fitter you’re giving them the right attitude to take with them through life. Remember, it only takes a little to achieve a lot and it’s easy to introduce activities into routines that become part of your everyday life.

Why should I encourage my kids to be active? Don’t they get enough at school?

Kids should enjoy 60 minutes of activity on top of their school day. While kids are active at school, most of the time they are actually sitting down and can be happy just to chat to their friends in the playground instead of running around. It’s more fun if you make activity something the whole family can do together, and kids are more likely to join in if they see mum or dad doing it too.

What type of food do they need when being active?

It’s important to remember to eat the right foods as well as being active. Foods and snacks that give kids energy are great. A healthy breakfast is very important and will start their day off nicely, try some porridge with fruit on or a low sugar cereal.

For more energy snack ideas see the sugar swaps section.

What can I do if my kids don’t like sport?

You can’t force kids to be sporty, but you can encourage them to be active. It’s really about finding the right activity for each child. Try giving them a choice of things to do that will build up confidence. Once they find something they love, encourage them as much as you can as that will help them keep it up.