Keeping Kids Active in Winter

It’s easy to fall into the trap of letting exercise and physical activities drop during winter – particularly for young children who tend to play sports outdoors, the comforting lure of a cosy house is all the more tempting.

It seems ironic then, that it's in winter that we should actually be encouraging more physical activity! The colder months bring some unpleasant nasties – colds, flus and bugs abound. I think we all have memories of slurping down mum’s soup, bundled in blankets and trying our best to sweat it all out!

The best cure is prevention though: studies show that children who lead active lives have healthier immune systems and are less prone to colds, allergies, and diseases.  The same studies also showed that exercise decreases anxiety and depression, and improves mood and outlook in children.

If you’re a parent you’ll likely be pleased to know that regular exercise also improves quality of sleep – which in many cases means better sleep for you too – a win-win!

So how can you get your kids active in the winter, then? A really simple way is to move their physical activities from outdoors, to indoors as the days get colder. Live Active Leisure can help with this – their Active Steps programme for 1 to 5 year olds has everything from spontaneous active play drop-in sessions, to instructor led, planned activities like Wee Springers, and Kickabout.

And as your kids start primary school, Live Active offer instructor-based classes through their programme, Active Fun, which are carefully planned to offer affordable, enjoyable after-school sessions in sports like football, futsal, racket sports, table tennis and multi-sports.

Active Fun is extremely popular with both kids and parents, offering great value for money and access to swimming, skating and sports halls – so whatever the weather, you can get your heart-rate up and increase your blood flow. Indeed, exercise increases the blood flow to your brain meaning concentration levels are improved both within and outwith the classroom.

Nurturing a love of exercise from a young age lays the foundation for a healthy and active life.

Along with the physical benefits discussed so far, kids who participate in regular sporting activity also develop better long-term habits. Nurturing a love of exercise from a young age lays the foundation for a healthy and active life.

Right now there are currently spaces available for many of these activities, so we’d advise you to act fast if you want to snap up this opportunity! Improving self-esteem, making friends, and staying healthy – it’s time to work up a sweat and have some fun!

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View the current availablity for Live Active Steps and Live Active Fun.

Memberships include winter friendly activities such as ice skating, sportshall and more! Find out more information on Live Active Leisure's Young People Memberships.