It’s the beginning of the New Year and it’s time for us to reflect on last year and think about new ways we can improve for this year. You guessed where we are going with this; if the title didn’t give it away… New Year’s resolutions. Creating resolutions with your kids is a fun way to get them involved and set goals for themselves this new year. In fact, goal-setting is incredibly beneficial for children as it encourages responsibility and mindful decision-making.

As parents, we know the holidays are one of the most stressful times of the year.  We’re worried about preparing food, scheduling to see all the relatives, and most of all, finding the perfect gift for our kids. No wonder Santa stress eats milk and cookies! Physical gifts are fun to unwrap and play with for a few weeks, but we know the best gifts are ones that our kids will remember. 

How Much Is Too Much? Teaching Active Kids When To Take Breaks

Regular exercise during childhood is vital for short- and long-term health, and sports offer a great opportunity for children to get this much-needed exercise. Furthermore, sports can be an especially beneficial option because games also offer opportunities for social development. 

As things start to warm up this Spring it’s important for the kids to put down the video games and screens to play outside. Spring is the perfect time to get the kids outside and active especially as April has both National Health day and National Student Athlete day to encourage movement during this time. 

Does Too Much Screen Time Affect Children’s Development? 

It’s thought that too much screen time may negatively impact children.  A growing body of research supports this idea, with more studies discovering a link between excessive screen time and suboptimal childhood development. However, because today’s children and teenagers are still young digital natives, it will take time to understand the full, long-term effects of too much screen time on child development.

Fred Rodgers put it perfectly, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is the work of childhood.”This month, we wanted to highlight some of the benefits of play through a non-competitive environment: JumpBunch classes promote a learning environment to encourage all children to play and participate. This instills confidence in each athlete allowing them to learn the sport and engage more with their coaches and teammates.

Did you know according to the U.S. News & World Report about 80% of New Year Resolutions fail by February?! One of the biggest problems we have is that we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and then get overwhelmed trying to reach them.