It’s Screen-Free Week 2018! Why not get outside and be active with your kiddos with these fantastic fitness ideas for kids!

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Screen-Free Week occurs in the spring. The weather’s getting warmer, school is almost out of session, and there are plenty of parents (and children!) wondering what in the world they’ll be doing once the schedule slows to a crawl.

One of the things we’ll be doing is spending a lot more time outside. We love to hike, run, walk, and just soak in the sunshine for hours. It’s restorative for my sensory and anxiety kiddos, plus a great energy booster for mom. Finding activities we can all do together, though, is a challenge.

I turned to my friend Charlotte for help.

Charlotte and her partner Johnna are co-founders of Catholic Women Run, a blog dedicated to helping women stay physically and spiritually fit (find them on Facebook and Instagram), Charlotte is mom to a darling two-year-old girl.

How did you start running? Is it something you’ve done for a long time, or are you new to it?

I am new to it! I’ve always struggled with exercising regularly. As a lot of moms know, it gets even harder to do once you are a parent. But by getting creative with my time and options, I actually exercise more now than I did when I was single. I am still learning and Johnna is the real exercise guru of Catholic Women Run – I provide the perspective of a newbie and mom.

Describe your work/life balance. How do you attend to your vocation as a wife and mother while pursuing your passion at the same time? 

It’s tricky! Fitting exercise into my schedule on top of being a wife/mom and grad student is a work in progress. But one thing I have learned is that it helps to talk and strategize a lot with my husband about how we will fit things in each week. It might sound obvious, but sometimes couples are so busy sorting out bills, childcare, and grocery lists that we forget to ask how we can help each other pursue our individual passions.

What’s your philosophy on screen time? Does it have potential benefits, or is it something you try to avoid altogether?

I struggle with this a lot. I love the idea of keeping my daughter away from screens 100%, but it just doesn’t seem possible right now! She is 2.5 and I don’t think there are any benefits of screen time for her age group. We do track how much she is getting per week to make sure we stay below the recommended 1 hour per day.

How do you share your passion with your children? What do your children think about what you do? 

My daughter is fascinated by my running hobby. She sometimes puts on her headphones, grabs her toy phone, and pretends to run around our apartment. I am starting to run with her in the jogging stroller, but that doesn’t involve her in the exercise routine so directly. That’s why the toddler yoga is so great. She can do these poses along with me and absolutely loves it!

Charlotte and her daughter do a variation of yoga, one that involves fun animal stretches:

Charlotte recommends checking out these resources for more stretching ideas.

Looking for more fantastic fitness ideas for kids?

• Try a modified version of an interval run. Change it up by walking, jumping, skipping – use any movement you like!
• Create and go on a scavenger hunt, around town or in the woods!
• Try your hand at geocaching. You never know what you might find.
• Build a tree house or a fort.
• Plant a garden.

Fitness with kids doesn’t have to be formal. Just get outside, be active, and enjoy the time you spend unplugged from devices. You’ll be glad you did!

Looking for more Screen-Free Resources? Read on, and sign up for one of my newsletters:

Screen-Free Resources for Families (Life Skills and Activities)

Have a Screen-Free Summer with Life Skills Bingo

Move That Body: Super Fun Theater Games for Kids 

Make Something Beautiful: Creative Crafting for Kids 

Grow Something Good: An Introduction to Gardening with Kids