Fit made fun – getting kids in motion!

I recently read an article on The Fun Theory, about how making things fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. In the Piano Staircase experiment, the goal was to try to get more people to take the stairs over the escalator – which they succeeded to do, 66% more people took the stairs!

I think the same principle applies when we are thinking about kids and fitness. Kids don’t want to run laps (unless they are chasing you around in a fun game of tag), they don’t want to do jumping jacks (unless it is a super cool Simon Says game), and they don’t want to hit the gym (unless of course they see you doing it — and having fun).

The idea is great, but what about reality?

This whole idea of fitness made fun is great, but sometimes we parents aren’t able to give kids all the motivation they need to keep up the fun when it comes to fitness (admit it, busy schedules, homework, and life sometimes cause us to put fitness on the back burner). So when I learned about the new LeapFrog LeapBands, I KNEW it was something we would love.

I received two LeapBands to try out in order to help motivate the fun factor, and some awesome CLIF Kid Zbar Protein samples to help keep up the energy for some pretty active kids. My kids of course loved the LeapBands. My daughter thought it was pretty awesome that you could play all sorts of neat games on the band (which she of course called a watch — what kid doesn’t want a watch?), and also earn Joules by doing the activities it asks you to do.

Side note: As a science geek I think it is pretty cool that the points you earn are called Joules, because a joule (J) is a derived unit of energy after all. It is equal to the energy expended (or work done) in applying a force of one newton through a distance of one meter. Yes, I know… my geeky side is showing, but little details like that peak my interest.  🙂

So what is a LeapBand anyway?

The LeapBand is the cool wearable activity tracker that encourages kids to get active with customizable virtual pet pals. LeapBand tracks kid’s every moment and suggests fun active challenges – and the more they move, the more points they earn to unlock virtual rewards for their pets and get to new levels!

It really tracks everything kids do, like when you are climbing the stairs to give the password to get into the ‘secret’ clubhouse.

Or when you are picking grass to go into your special magic potion.

And then showing the other kids just the right way to mix up those potions.

Exerting a little more energy? That’s exactly what you should do to earn more points!

So the long and short of it is, the LeapBand is a great way to help your kids stay motivated to be active and my kids loved wearing them.

More ideas for staying active!

Want some great ideas to help your kids stay active while using their LeapBands? Check out these awesome printables that you can download for free! Head over to CLIF Kid to get your 60 Minutes of Motion printable (starting Sept. 15) that includes motion cards, activity cards, game cards, snack and hydration cards – just like the ones pictured below!

  

More info about LeapBand and CLIF Kid protein bars:

The LeapBand includes these awesome features:

• Parent Controls where you can set School and Quiet Time modes.
• Rechargeable battery, no batteries needed – play for days.
• Audio instructions – helps pre-readers to follow challenges.
• Water resistant – Made for play, splash/sweat-proof.

There are so many cool features to the LeapBand that it is hard to list them all. Some things that my kids really like are playing the games they are instructed to do (which also happens to get them active).

Kids can follow their progress on the energy bar

Parents can set up to 50 challenges to get kids active

Every move earns points to unlock fun, new rewards.

 

 

 

I love that the kids can wear it to school so it still tracks their movement, but they are locked out from playing any games during the specified times that I set.

Keep the energy going!

The CLIF Kid Z bars are an organic baked whole grain snack made with a nutritious blend of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and fat to maintain kids’ energy….so kids can keep zipping and zooming along!

 

Don’t forget to like LeapFrog, CLIF Kid, and MommyParties on Facebook for even more fun!

You can follow @LeapFrog on Twitter as well.

 

 

Thank you to MommyParties for providing us with the awesome LeapBand and our party goods – we had a blast!