10 ways to encourage activity during holiday break

FITNESS — Cheer up your child’s holiday break by giving them a chance to be in better shape when school reconvenes in January.

Here are a few modest suggestions to help break the epidemic of TV and computer laziness:

• While on vacation, play with children when you can and join the fun. Bring a football, basketball or even Hoola Hoop.
• Hand deliver holiday cards and cookies to the neighbor.
• While watching TV , have a contest to wee who can invent a new, fun exercise during commercial breaks.
• Create A Holiday Tradition - Ideas include a ski trip, snowshoe trek, a trip to the woods to cut a Christmas Tree, or a visit to the skating rink – replace sedentary holiday traditions with more active ones.
• Sign up for an inexpensive outing of snowshoeing or skiing organized by Spokane Parks and Recreation outdoors program.
• Buy Active Holiday presents for the kids that will get them up and moving.  A jump rope, the good ol’ favorite Twister or even a movement based video gaming system like Xbox Kinect or Wii Sports.
• Create Your Own Winter Olympics with friends and neighbors.  Kids who don’t want to participate can help judge.
• Walk to see Holiday Decorations and Lights – instead of piling in the car to drive around the  neighborhood, walk to see the holiday lights.
• Take the dogs for a walking tour of neighborhood decorations.
• Visit indoor activity centers , such as the the great aquatic facilities at the  YMCA or YWCA.
• Go tracking if there’s snow at a local Conservation Futures area. Bring a field guide to animal tracks and see what you can find.