What are the Best Ideas to get Kids to Exercise

 How to Get Your Kids Interested in Exercise

Nowadays, with all of the video games and gadgets available, it’s difficult to get kids to put away their screens and try something active. This has led to a huge rise in childhood obesity and health problems related to sedentary behavior. As a parent, you want your child to be as happy and healthy as possible, so how can you encourage them to become more interested in exercise rather than playing video games or watching TV? Here are some of the best ideas to get kids to exercise to give you inspiration.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Photo by Hunter Johnson on Unsplash

Ways to get Children to Exercise:

Try out a sport

If your child finds exercise ‘boring,’ then maybe they just haven’t found a sport they like yet. Sports are both lots of fun and a great way to burn extra calories, and team sports can also teach your child vital life skills like teamwork and cooperation. 

Volleyball is a fantastic, fast-paced sport that your kids will love. If you buy volleyball equipment to play this sport at home, then you’ll need to make sure you look after it so it doesn’t get damaged. In particular, volleyball ball pumps are essential for keeping the ball in perfect condition.

Go to after-school clubs

If you don’t have the space or equipment for your kids to play sports at home, then you can sign them up for after-school sports clubs instead. These clubs will have much better facilities and will be able to teach your child more about the sport, helping them reach their full potential. Additionally, your child will participate with other children at these clubs, which will help them make new friends and learn how to collaborate.

Walk to school

A small change you could make to your child’s routine is walking them to school instead of driving them there (or letting them walk alone if they’re old enough). This will get them used to moving more and will reduce their total amount of sedentary behavior. 

Try sports and dance games

A fun family activity that’ll get you all moving is sports or dance games. Although video games often reduce your child’s activity levels, these games actually make them get up and move around in order to win. Games like Just Dance are also extremely fun and competitive - you’ll be having as much fun and getting as much exercise as the kids!

Just Dance Nintendo Switch

Ask them what activities they like

Most importantly, you can’t get your kids interested in exercise if you don’t listen to what they’d like to do. Forcing them to take part in sports and activities they hate will only make them resent exercise. For example, you may find out that your child prefers competitive team sports, solitary sports like running, or simply going for long walks. You may also find that your child isn’t very interested in sports but loves creative activities like dance. Try out a variety of activities to see what works for them.

Once you’ve found a form of exercise that your child enjoys, it’ll be so much easier to establish healthy habits and avoid harmful sedentary behaviors. Whatever you choose, make sure you enjoy the ride!

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Try Doing Summer Camp at Home

The Benefits of Extracurricular Activities for Children with Disabilities

Special Needs Children Need to Participate in Extra Curricular Activities too!

A recent report suggests that pediatricians should encourage more children with disabilities to take part in physical activities. It is common for both doctors and parents to be cautious about allowing children with physical impairments to join after school clubs or participate in sports and team games. Children with disabilities and special needs aren't always given the opportunity or encouraged to participate and enjoy the benefits of extra curricular activities.

However, a number of studies show that increased physical activity in children with disabilities can significantly improve general health as well as help to develop mobility, balance, and coordination. At the same time, involvement in team sports and other organized recreational activities offer great opportunities to build social skills, make new friends and boost self-confidence. With the right support, children with physical or learning disabilities are able to enjoy a range of recreational activities, from fun party games at a sleepover to residential camps during the summer.

Photo by Danny Nee on Unsplash.

Taking Part in Accessible Activities

Although it may sometimes be more challenging, many children with disabilities are able to safely take part in physical activities. With more accessible facilities, specialized equipment and personal recommendations, children with a range of different needs and abilities can find an activity that they enjoy. In addition, increased levels of exercise can help them to maintain a healthy weight and improve their cardiovascular fitness. 

While children with spastic cerebral palsy may experience difficulties with balance and movement, they can still enjoy activities such as horse riding or swimming that can allow them to experience greater mobility and independence. Even less physical activities such as drawing or photography are still very useful for refining motor skills and are also calmer activities for children with sensory issues. 

 

Joining After-School Programs

While parents are often more focused on academic achievement or medical therapies, after-school programs for children with special needs offer a great opportunity to try out a range of different activities. Each child has different abilities and requirements so it is important to find a hobby or sport that suits that builds on their strengths and allows them to develop and grow.  As well as having the chance to master a new skill, being part of a club allows children to make new friends and learn essential life skills.

 

Attending Inclusive Summer Camps

Summer camps are also a great place to develop life skills such as team working, resilience and decision-making.  As well as being able to choose a specialist camp designed to support particular conditions such as autism or cerebral palsy, children with additional needs can also take their pick from any camp in the country. The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that all camps are inclusive to children with disabilities. This means that accommodations such as wheelchair-accessible ramps or additional therapeutic programs, are made to allow children of all abilities to access a range of activities suited to their particular interests and needs. 

With the provision of accessible after school programs and summer camps, children with disabilities and additional special needs can enjoy the physical and social benefits of extracurricular activities.

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Special Needs Articles from Kids Creative Chaos

How to Get More Traffic to Website: Traffic Secrets

Traffic at a Standstill?

This is a sponsored post. #ad Are you stuck in the eternal flow of social media? Do you have a blog, website, or other social media pages to sell a product or service? After you've exhausted all ideas, is your traffic still at a standstill? If so, you've probably searched for how to get more traffic to your website. It seems like an uphill battle. Okay, it is an uphill battle, but persistence and perseverance pay off.

I've been working the 30 day challenge in this book by Russell Brunson, Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers. Let me just say, it may feel overwhelming, but that's what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the crowd. The past few years, I've slowed down on my personal endeavors. They've taken a backseat to the digital marketing that I do for other brands and businesses. I've got a keen eye for what needs to get done, but when it comes to doing it for myself, I don't always accomplish those goals. Reading this book has been the kick in the pants I needed to get motivated. 

The first thing I noted was it felt like work. It felt like stuff I don't really want to do. Ugh. If that's you and you can't find the motivation, this method isn't for you. However, you should kick yourself in the pants and just get it done. Even if you do only a portion of what's been explained in the book, it will motivate you to set new goals. I hadn't posted every day on any social media platform, for years. YEARS! It was clearly time to make a change. For me, this 30 day challenge helped me overcome some fears. I posted several times a day nothing bad happened. In fact, my social media pages, particularly Facebook, started getting more engagement. More. Not less. More! Social media sites like it when we're active. Even if you're just talking to yourself everyday, post something valuable to help build that engagement score.

Russell Brunson is doing all the things I dreamed of doing! Book signings, podcasts, videos, and most importantly, selling books! For me, the goal of more traffic is to reach my target audience and sell more books! I love to write and create content for kids, but it can be difficult to attract the right audience to your website and even more difficult to attract them to make a purchase. That's where your dream 100 comes into play. In Traffic Secrets, Russell Brunson details what it takes to work with your dream 100. The first step is to identify who they are so you need to make a list. Once you've got that list, you need to work it. Find ways to connect with your dream 100. Make sure your dream 100 knows who you are! You can read all about it in his book, Traffic Secrets.

By completing the Traffic Secrets 30-day challenge, you'll learn the strategies you need to increase your site traffic. You've probably already got a great product or service ready to go, you just those customers! If you've yet to create a product to sell, you need to get on that. 

Here are some of my products:

Summer Camp Handbook

Circle Time Handbook

Allegedly Mystic Novel

I sell my products anywhere I can! In his book, Brunson mentions how important it is to have an affiliate army. Get other people (your dream 100) to mention your books and sell them on their websites. Set them up as affiliates so that they earn a little for each book sale. After reading his book, I discovered that I really need to focus more on building my tribe. First thing I plan to do is set up an affiliate marketing program for other book bloggers. In this latest book Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers, entrepreneur Russell Brunson reveals the classic and foundational direct marketing techniques that will allow you to be at the front of new trends and see opportunities that are invisible to everyone else. Having an affiliate army is a huge piece of the puzzle.

Russell Brunson is a Best-Selling Author & CEO of the $100M software company ClickFunnels. If you've started any digital marketing, you've probably heard of funnels. Everyone needs a funnel! He has built a following of over a million entrepreneurs, sold hundreds of thousands of copies of his books and popularized the concept of sales funnels. Basically, you need a funnel where you have all sorts of marketing efforts pointing to your landing page or the page where you sell your product or service. You drop links to this page preferably through other great online and personalities, and they all funnel in one direction, which drives sales of your product or service. There's an online adage, "work smarter not harder." However, if you can work smarter and harder, you'll find success in your entrepreneurial endeavors. 

There's no time like the present, be sure to pick up your copy of Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers and start your 30 day challenge today!

#TrafficSecrets 
#RussellBrunson 

 

My call to action:  Your kids have been cooped up for too long! Be sure to get your copy of my Summer Camp Handbook! 5 theme weeks of science experiments, recipes, exercises, games, and activities to enrich your lives!

Homeschooling During the Coronavirus?

School Closure Home Learning

Have you unexpectedly been tossed into the throes of homeschooling since the Corona virus pandemic? If you've suddenly had to to become the school teacher, cafeteria lady, and janitor during these school closures, you're well aware that home learning is more difficult than it looks. So, how do you do homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic? As seasoned homeschoolers, we're here to help. Below is a list of our favorite homeschool resources and some articles specifically addressing these troubled times and how to help your kids cope. What a life lesson this is, right?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

For more on our personal journey scroll to the end.

Worried how school closure and remote learning will affect your child? Love them, support them, build them up, and they'll be fine. Think homeschoolers are weird? Maybe, depends on your perspective, but we're more normal than you think. We only had 7 months of brick and mortar school, but our previously homeschooled kids made the best of their first year of brick and mortar school. They miss school so much. When this is all over your kids will look forward to going to school too! I've added a photo album for our long time readers and fans. Enjoy!

I love this post! We have a similar experience.
Keep scrolling to see our homeschoolers' success in public school!

Tips for Home Learning and Coping during School Closures and Covid19 

• How to Homeschool Your Kids After a School Closure

• Help Children Cope with Changes due to Covid19

• Learning at Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic

• How to Make your Home into a Workable School

• Independent Learning Strategies During the Coronavirus Outbreak

• How to Talk to your Kids about Covid19

• More resources for parents, students, and teachers

These are scary times, so here's a Coronavirus meme to lighten the mood.

Educational Resources for Homeschooling during the Coronavirus

• Many of our older homeschool resources that target elementary students are listed in the homeschool tab on this site: Homeschool Learning Lessons for Elementary Age You can also do a search on our site for specific types of lessons like, grammar, math, and science.

• BrainPop has the most fun videos; I love them as much as my kids do. BrainPopJr. is great for the younger set. They are a paid service, but offer a free movie of the week and other free lessons.

• Life of Fred is our favorite home learning curriculum. We checked the books out at the library, that's probably not an option during these coronavirus times. You can get the Life of Fred books online at Amazon and on the Life of Fred website (Get the dolls!)

• Mobymax has free options for remote learning and homeschoolers. The great thing about this website is they find and fix learning gaps. Kids can take assessments to see where they fall and then do educational activities based on their grade level in different subjects. It's a great way to see if your child has been falling through the cracks in public school.

• TeachersPayTeachers and TeacherSherpa both offer great resources free and paid. The lesson plans are created by teachers for teachers, but homeschoolers and remote learners are welcome to download them too! Check out our store on TPT, it has some fun educational skits to do with the kids, we even have a play about the Easter Bunny!

Here's a FREE SCIENCE LESSON RESOURCE on COVID19

• Khan Academy is not for the faint of heart. If you're all in to the homeschooling thing, give it a try. We used it for several years. It's a free learning resource originally targeted toward middle schoolers and high schoolers, but now offers lessons for elementary too. It feels a lot more like "real school" than some of the other online options and keeps track of your progress and grade level.

• Why not give this difficult time a fun spin? Our Summer Camp Handbook is edutainment at its best! Enjoy science experiments, PE Activities, and more disguised as fun! 

• We also love CrashCourse with John and Hank Green. (Yes, that John Green!) You'll even find some of their lessons on Khan Academy. These are super fun, especially for older students.

Best Homeschool Blogs

Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Hip Homeschool Moms

The Relaxed Homeschooler

Life of a Homeschool Mom

I Can Teach My Child

The Educator's Spin on it

Raising Lifelong Learners

First day of public school 2019.

We hope these resources help ease your mind and put you on the right track for remote home learning during the Coronavirus pandemic situation. Remember, homeschooling isn't easy and not all parents nor all kids are cut out for it. 

Bowling allows for socialization and physical activity. During the quarantine,
bowl with your game console or set up milk jugs to knock down with a basketball.

Do the best you can. Don't overdo it! If you take it too seriously, your kids won't enjoy it and neither will you. Make learning fun, make it light, and focus on those skills that are best learned at home: writing letters, sending emails, tying shoes, telling time, how to follow a recipe, chores (consider doing laundry a PE activity,) working on cars, putting together puzzles, dice games, Minecraft Uno or any Uno game, and anything that brings your family closer together.

Dress up day.

Note: This past year, my kids decided to go back to public school. My 15 year-old was placed as a high learning junior taking all senior and college level courses, my 13 year-old is a well-rounded, straight A, school loving eighth grader. 

In previous years, we spent a maximum of 2 hours a day on book learning. The rest  of our day was focused on healthy outdoor activities, field trips to museums, special events at the library, and a local homeschool group for "socialization." Turns out, it was more than enough. 

Take it easy, don't stress out, and remember that YOU CAN DO IT!

Made the grade, first semester honor roll.

Never played football in his life. Made the team!

Loving the school band.

My son was looking forward to performing in the high school play, finishing building a home for Habitat for Humanity, trying out different sports and clubs, and now, that will have to wait until next year. My daughter was on an academic team, loving art club, playing in the school band, and appreciating school for its many wonderful opportunities. I took great pride and joy watching them try new things. My heart aches for their loss and for the loss of those long time public school seniors who are missing out on their last school dance, possibly graduation, and all the joys of being a high school senior. If nothing else, this experience will teach us not to take life for granted. 

Never forget, no matter how stressful it gets, getting to stay home with your kids is a gift.

Good Luck, go hug your kids!

YA Book Series Angels Supernatural: Allegedly Mystic

Allegedly Mystic YA Fiction Aurora Series Book One

Allegedly Mystic. It's finally here! If you're a long time reader of this blog, you know I've been talking about it for years. In the early stages, I even published some chapters here to get help with crowd editing and story line content.  (Those have since been removed.) This is the first in a YA Book Series about angels and all things supernatural. Read on for the book blurb and to see how you can read it for free. 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Check out my Amazon Author Page, Lora Langston, and follow along there.

Get the paperback version of Allegedly Mystic on Amazon.

“Ugly people argue. When I feel ugly, things get ugly around me. I always want to run and hide in a bathtub. Unfortunately, the school frowns on unusual behaviors like that. My school counselor says I walk the halls with the grace of Snuffleupagus and the air of Pig Pen. Apparently, a cloud of woe surrounds me in typical Eeyore fashion.

Troubled kids who cause their parents shame, stress, or miserable pain often get shipped off to some kind of camp. Maybe Fat Camp, Betty Ford, or a Funny Farm? I could never be so lucky.  

Where’s a bathtub when you really need one? “

_____________________________________________________________________

Allegedly Mystic is a supernatural teen romance.  

(Teen & Young Adult Visionary & Metaphysical Fiction eBooks)

_____________________________________________________________________

Life is nothing if not unpredictable. Navigating adolescence is never easy, but when you’re born into a family of mystic medicine, every moment is a challenge. Aurora thinks she’s got a handle on it until her emotions get the best of her. 

When your feels affect everyone within a city block, you move every six months, and you’re labeled a weird homeschooler, having friends seems like an impossible dream. Having a best friend is completely out of the question. 

Romance? That's a stone that will never get turned over...

After watching her mother perform a strange ritual in the park, Aurora can’t help but think the story of her ancestry is a pack of lies. She’s seen all the movies about witchcraft. Whenever she’s feeling stressed, a green aura haunts her every move, a white cat appears out of nowhere, the school bully suddenly has her back, and she finds comfort in the companionship of a mysterious kid no one else seems to notice. 

Wondering if she’s secretly a witch, but doesn’t know it, Aurora opens up to her new friends and ends up confessing more than just her concerns about her fanatical mother and the green light. Her emotions always run rampant, but once she gets a handle on it all, she realizes those confusing feelings about her new protector might be more than just gratitude. She’s finally ready to sort it all out when her reservation to the Indian reservation is confirmed.

_____________________________________________________________________

Aurora's mother tries to keep her ancestry hidden. Allegedly born into a family of skilled mystic medicine men and women, Aurora, a home-schooled, thirteen-year-old, high school freshman, tries to navigate her special gifts as a mysterious green aura haunts her emotional outbursts. If she learns to contain her emotions, she can use her gifts for good. If she doesn't... Well, that's exactly what she's trying to prevent.  

Has she created the cloud that hovers over her every move? Is she a danger to society? Serenity Waters is the keeper of secrets. Aurora didn't ask for these alleged abilities and she certainly doesn't want to attend a camp to find her inner medicine man, but her mother is making demands and her mystic grandfather keeps appearing out of nowhere. It couldn’t hurt to meet her estranged father, could it?

_____________________________________________________________________

*The story is told from a thirteen-year-old girl's perspective with flashbacks to her mother's teen years.

**This is an upper middle grade fiction/YA fiction supernatural novel perfect for reader's 12-18 yrs. 

GET YA FICTION, ALLEGEDLY MYSTIC FREE WITH KDP UNLIMITED.

Here's the original cover from the YA Fictions Supernatural blog series. Aurora, you've come along way, baby. She is my baby. I've started the next book in the series, I hope to have it completed by Christmas. Things are going much faster these days, I've learned a lot over the years. 

Whether you're a future novelist or a seasoned pro, hop over and learn new things or share your books with my Facebook group: Author Friends (Historical Fiction Books)

 

Get the paperback version of Allegedly Mystic on Amazon.

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Fun Indoor Activities for Kids

Indoor Activities To Do With the Kids

When we leave summer behind and approach the colder months, kids want to stay inside. That means, it’s time to pull out the indoor activities to keep the kids entertained after school and on the weekends. Just because you’re stuck inside doesn’t mean the day has to be wasted! There are loads of great family-friendly activities to do indoors.

This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

Be sure to click through the links to find all the fun indoor kids activities we've discovered.

If you're looking for great ways to keep kids entertained when the weather’s got you stuck indoors, look no further! Some or these activities, you might do regularly, others you may never have tried before, but they’re all great ways to keep the kids entertained while encouraging them to learn new skills. 

Baking 

How can you not love an indoor activity where you and the kids get to eat a tasty treat at the end? When the weather isn't very nice, baking is a great way to bring the family together, and you can learn some amazing new skills while you’re at it. 

Don’t worry if you’re not a great cook, the fun is in learning the new skill, and there are some great recipes for beginners out there. Even if you are a beginner, these recipes will have you baking up a storm!

Everyone wins when you get to do a fun family activity and eat some tasty baked goods at the end of the day.

Kid-Friendly Recipes from our Blog

Arts and Crafts

Keep everyone entertained for hours on end with a few well-planned arts and crafts projects. These might take a little bit of pre-planning on your part, but they’re sure to give your family an amazing day of creating things with their hands and bonding with each other. 

Any project with epoxy resin is bound to get the kids excited, and the results you can get with this product are awesome and perfect for a cold or rainy day.

Don’t worry if you’re not an arts and crafts pro, there are plenty of beginner projects to get you going like a pro. 

Kids CRAFTS from our blog.

Board Games

In the modern world of ultra-realistic video games, the old-fashioned board game still has its place. In fact, the classics are often the best, and there’s no better time to pull out the board game collection that when it’s raining outside. 

No matter how much technology moves on, the likes of Monopoly, Cluedo, Jenga, and Uno are always family favorites for a good reason. Once you get everyone together and involved in a game of Monopoly, you’ll find the time just flies by, and you won’t even remember that the weather is terrible outside. Make sure you’ve got a trustworthy banker, and you’ve got an afternoon of fun indoor activities for everyone. 

Indoor Sleepover Activities for Kids

Rainy Day – Don't Worry

As we approach Fall, the weather might not allow for as many outdoor activities as usual, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end. There are lots of fun indoor activities that you can enjoy with your family on a rainy day.  For more inspiration, check us out on Pinterest!

What looked like a boring weekend stuck inside, might just turn out to be a weekend full of joy and family fun. You can eat, drink, create, and play games with your family and friends while bringing everyone closer together. Just do a search in our blog for games, crafts, kids recipes, family field trip ideas, and fun indoor activities for kids. Stick with us, and you'll never run out of fun things to do!

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