With spring finally on its way and the Easter holidays there to be filled, now is the time for a little lifestyle spring clean for you and the kids.

It is easier to get outside and active with the sun shining and the days lasting a bit longer so take advantage and fit in their 60 minutes of activity a day. The 60 minutes don’t all have to be at once, it can be broken up into more manageable 20 minutes chunks.

Here are a few tips and ideas for ways to keep them more active over the school holidays and into the summer months:

  • Make it a family affair and have a weekly walk after dinner or at the weekend, exploring your local area.
  • Involve the kids with your normal workout. Yoga is excellent for flexibility, strength, coordination, while also helping with children’s ability to concentrate and their sense of calm.
  • Use a pedometer and challenge the kids to beat the total from the previous day.
  • Need a bit of an incentive to get moving? How about a treasure hunt, compile a list of things the kids have to find or see and the one who finds the most wins a prize at the end! Like a new sticker book maybe?
  • Have an at-home dance party, crank up those tunes and get your groove on!
  • Get together for a mini sports day at the local park. Make sure the events cover all abilities levels; they may not be the faster runner but they can hop, skip and jump like a demon.
  • Check your local pool for their holiday or summer timetables. There are public pools across the county. For more details visit Freedom Leisure to search for pools in Wealden, Rother and Hastings, Wave in Lewes district and the Sovereign Centre and Sports Eastbourne for Eastbourne. They can improve their swimming whilst also having fun splashing around.
  • There are more than 150 public outdoor play facilities in Rother, Lewes and Eastbourne, Hastings and Wealden ranging from parks for young children to skateparks and ball courts for the older ones.
  • Make being active the norm. Keep a football, tennis racquets, balls, hula hoops and a Frisbee at home so there is always something at hand to take outside and play with.
  • If you have a positive attitude to sport and keeping active this will reinforce that it isn’t a chore – be their active role model!

You can find more suggestions for how to keep active with the kids, including a whole host of 10 minute shake-ups, at Change4Life