One would think that when children are out of school for summer break they are outside swimming, riding their bike, or maybe playing sports with their friends. In general you would think they are much more active than when they are forced to sit at a desk for hours a day in school. But that just isn’t the case.

This study looked at elementary school children over a ten year period and found that they actually gained weight during the summer. There were several reasons for this.

First off the scene I laid out of children playing outside during the summer just isn’t happening. Now summer is spent in front of a screen watching TV or playing video games. Any social interaction happens with social media. No need to leave the house.

There is also access to a stocked cabinet of junk food to snack on. I would never call a typical school lunch healthy but it is better balanced than a steady diet of chips, cookies, or candy washed down with sugary drinks.

So what can you do to prevent your children from falling into this pattern? First off limit screen time. I’m always a fan of balance. My own kids get limited time during the day for playing video games or watching TV. We’ll set a timer and when it’s done the screens go off. Just doing this helps get things moving in the right direction. Even if you don’t have anything else planned once they don’t have technology to rely on they get creative and will find things to do.

Then you can start planning some fun things to do. Here are some ideas:

Every town has a park or outdoor space to go play in and explore. Find one near you and go check it out.
Put together an outdoor treasure hunt of things to find.
Local libraries often have summer reading programs and activities for rainy days
Build a couch fort!
Start cooking together. Let the kids help plan meals or snacks. Introduce them to healthy options. If they are involved in the process of getting and making the stuff they eat they will enjoy it so much more.
Plant a garden. Even if you don’t have the space where you live many towns have community gardens where you can grow your own food.
Visit the farmers markets to get healthy local food for your meal planning.
Find a camp or program to give them some structure during the summer. It can just be a one or two week program it doesn’t have to be all summer. Find something they are interested in and I’ll bet there is a camp for it. Sports, theater, science, whatever gets them using their body and brain.

For more ideas to get outside in nature check out the resources at NH Children in Nature organization.

Hopefully you’ve got some new ideas to get kids active and healthy during the summer. Now go out and play!