Highly active children require more physical activity than the average sedentary kid. They may be found regularly kicking a soccer ball, skating down a hockey rink, or playing sports all day long. Many parents are concerned about these high-energy children and worry about meeting their needs without overworking themselves. Although it is common for highly active kids to have many different needs and activities, you can take steps to make their time with you very enjoyable and empowering. In this article, you will explore the nine tips to meet the needs of highly active children.
Ensure Your Kid Gets Adequate Sleep
Highly active children can suffer when they do not receive enough sleep. Physical activity, especially intense exercise and sports, uses up a lot of energy and disturbs their natural sleeping pattern. Not only can this make these children grumpy, but it may also cause them to have trouble concentrating in school or after-school activities. Therefore, when your child gets home from school or a sporting event, ensure they get a good night’s rest before going to the next day’s event.
Set Up Playdates For Your Child, But Set Limits On The Time
If you have a highly active child, they may not enjoy being cooped up inside your home all day. Instead, arrange some play dates with another physically active child that your child knows and likes so they can get out of the house and play together. However, ensure that these play dates do not go on too long, and your child gets adequate rest.
Give Young Children a Wide Variety of Activities To Choose From
Highly active children should never be forced to do the same thing or engage in the same activities day after day. Instead, you should provide a wide variety of activities that your child can choose from, including sports, dance classes, music lessons, and outdoor activities. It will ensure that your child does not become bored and choose to stay inside all day playing video games or watching television. However, make sure you also check with any adult supervisors to make sure everything is appropriate for your child’s age level.
Provide Fidget Toys
Highly active children may have difficulty sitting still, and they may even have trouble focusing while seated at the dinner table. To help keep them occupied and focused, you may want to provide some “fidget toys” to keep their gentle hands busy and their minds occupied. These fidget toys can include yarn balls, beads, or other small objects that keep your child’s hands busy while keeping both of their minds on something different.
Praise Children For Good Behavior And Positive Choices
The more you praise your child when they behave in a way that benefits the family and is appropriate to the situation, the more they will repeat this behavior in general. However, it is important to make sure that you do not praise them too much for any negative behaviors as well because this may only encourage those same behaviors in the future. In the end, it is best to praise your child for their good choices and good behavior, but do not overdo it, or your child may stop responding. When praising your child, you may say phrases like, “Please get your lunch. You deserve it,” or “You are a wonderful student. I am proud of you.” These small phrases will encourage your child to respond positively and praise them for the positive choices you want them to make.
Encourage Children To Do Regular Exercise
Because highly active kids have so much energy, you need to make sure that they have a regular exercise routine. It not only helps them remain healthy, but it may also help them sleep better at night because it is more normal for the body. If you cannot provide a daily exercise resource for your child (like yourself), make sure you arrange for regular exercise programs that your child can join with other children in their neighborhood.
Incorporate Movement and Hands-On Activities
When you are with your children, try to make time for movement and hands-on activities. It is more than just a fun activity for them; it is also an educational opportunity that will help keep your young children focused and reduce the amount of time they spend in front of televisions or playing video games. You may encourage them to help you make customers for Halloween or birthday or ask them to help you prepare the ingredients you are using in some of your cooking.
Encourage Children To Participate In Organized Sports
Kids who have high energy levels are more likely to excel in organized sports programs. Sports and physical education classes help highly active children learn what it means to be part of a team and have rules and expectations set forth by adults. At the same time, they also learn how to follow those expectations themselves. In addition, physical activity is important for developing muscles and bones and other areas where growth takes place, including the brain. Lastly, social skills can also develop through team sports participation, so this is an essential aspect for highly active kids as well.
Take Your Child For Nature Walks
Highly active children may enjoy the challenge of going on hikes and walking in the woods or at parks to get their sense of adventure going, but not all highly active kids like to rough it outdoors. Therefore, you can try taking your child for a nature walk instead. These walks can be along a path in a local park or even through your neighborhood, and you can use this as a chance to point out different things about nature and the environment, such as trees, flowers, birds, and more. In addition to these environmental lessons, you can also take these walks during different seasons so you can show your child how these things change over time.
Meeting the needs of highly active children can be challenging. Still, by providing a variety of activities, a regular exercise schedule, and some outside time, you will meet their needs. If they are in school, you should also try to work with their teachers to see if they can get any extra help. However, it is essential that you also focus on discipline and appropriate behaviors for these kids so that they know how to behave in different situations and what is expected of them. By doing this, you will teach them how to control their energy levels and focus it on positive things like learning and interacting with the family rather than negative things like fighting or hurting themselves or others.