Kidding Around
Kidding Around
Keep traveling tots active with tips from Dr. John Ratey, spokesperson for Reebok’s Build Our Kids’ Success (BOKS) program.
By: Renée Morrison
1. Move it
It’s easy to get locked into a schedule while traveling, but little ones need a chance to move around. “After a long flight or drive, instead of heading straight to the check-in desk, find an open area for kids to run around in,” says Dr. Ratey. “The exercise will make them more attentive and less prone to tantrums.”
2. Stick together
Rather than splitting up for evening activities, make exercise a family affair with a game of tennis or soccer, or even with dancing. “There are so many options that feel more like having fun than working out, and doing them together is important because active parents set the example for their kids.”
3. Take a break
If children have homework or reading to do on the road, encourage a quick bout of physical activity before they start. “Give them a ‘brain break.’ Five or ten minutes of an activity like jump rope or jumping jacks is all it takes to help them focus.”
Build Our Kids’ Success
BOKS is a free, before-school physical activity program founded by Reebok Director of Social Responsibility Kathleen Tullie. Already implemented in 1,000 schools around the globe, the program was inspired by the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Harvard psychiatry professor Dr. John Ratey.