In celebration of YMCA's Healthy Kids Day, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits:
- Try, try, repeat - There are many great tasting fruits and vegetables that many kids have never heard of, let alone tried. Grab a new fruit or vegetable and encourage everyone in the family to try at least a bite.
- Play around town - Challenge the family to play on a different playground every week. Check here for some reviews of local parks. Identify playgrounds at a variety of parks; expand definitions of playgrounds to include nature trails, a nearby stream and a bike path.
- Families at play for an hour a day - From walking to gardening, swimming to shooting hoops, make playful movement a part of your family's day. To get 60 minutes of moderate activity throughout your day, just add 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there.
- Foster a passion for reading - Read to and with your kids. Help children read at every age and every stage of their development.
- Make sleep a priority - Doctors recommend 10-12 hours of sleep a day for children ages 5-12 and 7-8 hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, learning and other vital functions.
The Fremont/Newark YMCA's Healthy Kids Day event takes place at the Fremont/Newark YMCA located at 41811 Blacow Road in Fremont from 10am to 1pm on Saturday, April 25th. For more information, contact the YMCA at (510) 667-5200 or fninfo@ymcaeastbay.org.
