Mumsnet users share with Sainsbury's what would get their children up and active

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is closed

We all know it’s hard to get our children to keep active, especially during the holidays when sitting inside watching TV and playing computer games seem like the more appealing options. Sainsbury’s wants to get to the bottom of this and understand what barriers parents face during the summer holidays in getting your DCs active and in an ideal world what would it take to help you to get them up and about?

Sainsbury’s says: “We want to understand what challenges you and your family face when keeping active in the holidays. We know there are plenty of reasons, but we’re particularly keen to identify the types of support that would help your kids to get active. Do you want to send your children to a local sports camp, but there isn’t one nearby? Or would you like to see more frequent family park runs happening in your local community? Whatever would help your kids to get up on their feet this summer, we want to know!”

Let us know the barriers you face and any suggestions you have to get your children active on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £300 Sainsbury’s voucher.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

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[Royalsteph]

I have four dc so the barriers I personally face are they don't all fit in the car with prams and shopping etc. To overcome this we walk everywhere.
There are about 20 parks in our area so we are planning to visit them all. Also there are lots of walks and duck ponds so we will be visiting them too. I am going to let the dc pick a point on the map and let them navigate us there. My plan is to spend as little money as possible and do as many free things as we can. There are also some lovely forests near us that have activities on during he summer and this is also a great cheap way to get the kids to burn off lots of energy.

[EsmeeMerlin]

The weather makes a huge difference. We spend more time outside running around in parks in the summer simply because we have nicer days. The summer is when we are the most active! My son is never indoors but then we are firm on him on tv time so it’s not like he wants that. We are also lucky we have some fantastic parks, splash zones and swimming pools near us to visit as well as only being 40 mins away from the beach.

[sharond101]

Being with friends or their siblings make my kids much more active and we plan to be outdoors slot so this helps too.

[NauticalDisaster]

I am a single mum to two young boys so it is often money that is the barrier. We have scooters and bikes though and make use of them in all the local parks to add variety. I would love to send my boys for swimming lessons and tennis lessons but can't afford it.

[SnotGoblin]

Funnily enough, we were having this chat last night. My three year old declared he’d like a campfire ‘with sticks’ so I assured him we could definitely have a campfire and use sticks to cook marshmallows on. My five year old chimes in to remind me that we didn’t have a tent (my trusty old festival tent finally died last summer’. Lack of a tent is something that will stop us getting out and about camping in the wild but it’s easily fixable by buying a new one.

I’m currently waiting to sit my driving test so passive g that is another hurdle between me and endless summer freedom.

[NeverUseThisName]

"Mum, can I watch TV?"

"Of course you can. First take a skipping rope and do 200 skips on the trampoline."

Half an hour later a red-faced, sweaty child runs back in.

"I did 500 skips and 14 somersaults, and I put all the balls in the trampoline and I bought need so hard that I made some of them jump out! And I saw Jonny in the park and can I go to the park to play with him?"

Works every time

(Though if Jonny's not in the park, dc will often end up watching TV, but they've earned it by their half hour of vigorous activity.)

[Cambam2010]

My challenge is that I work Full Time. My Son loves being outdoors but after a day at work the last thing I want to do is run around playing tag or football. I just want to sit down and let my body catch up with itself. This usually results in my son being stuck infront of yet another screen. I'm overweight and I know that it's a vicious circle because if I had motivation to be active then I would hopefuly shift some excess weight.

This summer I have agreed with work to take 2 extra weeks off unpaid. I am going to try to break the screen addiction and head to the local beach and nature parks. I need to keep costs low due to the unpaid leave. Knowledge of local free events would be golddust!

[MrTumblesSpottyHag]

Making sure there are toilets near wherever we go might hold us back this summer. DD2 is 2.5 and just out of nappies and although she had her first adventure wee today I'm not so keen on the idea of adventure pooing!
DD1 timed all her poos so we were at home and I didn't have to think about it!

[MiddleClassProblem]

DD loves dancing and running games. Equipment to to sent up an assault course is good. We can even include skittles and stuff. She loves to be in a pool but swimming lessons are too expensive. Of ciurse we have the paddling pool out but it’s not quite the same!

[LittleMe03]

I have found lots of local groupon deals for the summer for my DSS. They often have Paint balling, wall climbing, tree top climbing, adventure days etc on grouping. I look throughout the year for all the best deals I can find on things he would like to do and then we book them all during the part of the summer holidays he is with DP and I.

His mother also does lots of nice things with him so he is a very lucky boy

I don't think there is any harm in a couple of days home playing computer games thou. What's difficult is at DSS's age his friends will text him and say they are playing online and so he wants to join them.

[NextIndia]

We have 5 DC, who range from 4-16. With this spread of ages, we find it particularly difficult these days to find activities that appeal to them all. The 3 youngest DC are still in the playing out/going to the park age range, but our 2 teen DD's are a nightmare to get moving. We insist that they walk too and from school each day, which is a couple of miles each way, so racks up about 20 miles a week and we've bought them both fitness trackers to encourage them. Besides that, active days out can become very pricey. We've done a few Center Parcs holidays and it was easier to get them all involved in activities there, but it would be cost prohibitive for them all to do stuff like rock climbing every week at home.

[UpOnDown]

It's hard due to working long hours...would do a sports camp in the hols, but they're so expensive

[Stickladilove]

Both my DC love parks and picnics, so we are planning to visit many as possible. We have a local outdoor pool which is fantastic with a huge picnic area. Last summer DH made kites for DC, which was a hit in the park.

[WinkyisbackontheButterBeer]

I am going that staring while she’s young and making it normal to be active and outdoors will make it easier for dd to continue that kind of lifestyle. It’s my occasional laziness that can be the barrier.

Dd loves feeding the ducks and playing on the swings and the park is only across the road so we are very lucky.

[DonaldWeasley]

Like many others, it’s the weather. We spend all summer walking the dog, riding bikes, swimming in the river etc but when it’s raining we hibernate.

[puffylovett]

The biggest hindrance to mine getting outside and getting active is that I work! They end up shoved from pillar to post 😢
If I didn’t, we would be mountain biking, scootering, roller hockeying, walking, exploring, geo caching.
Luckily they do a day or two of sports camp and play out when they’re at their grandparents

[peanutbutter310]

Weather is a big one. But thinking of something which can be 'managed', more shaded areas in our local park so kids can sit and take a break in the shade, without having to pack up and go elsewhere.

[Imgettingcheesefries]

For us it's the weather mainly too. I've got 4 dds and they all love being outside on their bikes/scooters, as they're getting older they are more reluctant to be away from their phones and YouTube though

[onemorecakeplease]

We don’t have any nice local parks - at all! The nearest nice park where you can spend the day is 40 miles away. So that’s a shame but once you get there it’s fine!

There isn’t a lot to do around here (rural) so I tend to have to organise friends to come over or make activities for them.

We go out to beaches and on walks a lot but I wish we had things closer to us and more summer camps I could send them both to. Currently dd is 5 and too young for the camp ds likes and she wouldn’t go anywhere on her own.

[mummymummums]

Most children love water in the summer so splash parks are great but none in walking distance. The ones we drive to are very popular - we could definitely do with more.
We have a forest on our doorstep but usually need something more than just a walk to persuade DD11 and DS9 out - we either walk to the play area the other side of it (6 mile round trip and they don't moan!) and/or give lists of things to find in forest - e.g. Squirrel, bramble, person with 2 dogs, etc.

[TheWizardofWas]

Water parks woud get them out and running, but there are no fabulous ones for miles and the ones there are are phenomenally expensive.

[Emmax12]

We love park trips but it's the weather that puts us off. It's often such a faff getting a toddler in coat, wellies, etc and we get to the park and all the equipment is wet. Then there's all the drying off when we get back. If it's lovely and sunny it's so much easier.

[NeverTwerkNaked]

The weather is the trickiest, if it’s sunny it’s easy, but if it rains lots we run out of ideas. Alternating swimming and soft play gets boring.
They are signed up for water sports camp and a dance camp, so that’s one week sorted. And the weeks we are abroad are easy. luckily we have free swimming at our local pool, but I am hoping for sunny days so we can spend lots of time in the playgrounds and on the beach

[jhb2013]

Where I live there is a lot of local provision for activities for school aged children but not much for toddlers. I have a 2 year old and a newborn. I love taking my 2 year old to her toddler classes (rugby and dance) but they all stop during the school holidays.

Having activity mornings where toddlers (and their parents) can try different sports would be excellent. Toddler hockey, LAX, rugby, football, dance, tennis,swimming, running/athletics would be easy to set up and run in the community. It would bring a range of people together and would be a good way of introducing different sporting skills/healthy living options to young children. If Sainsbury’s then sold the sports equipment (mini rugby balls etc) parents could then take what they’ve learnt and practise with their toddler. #fitforlife

[OhHolyFuck]

Barriers include bad weather, low income, asthmatic ds who by the time we've walked anywhere is too tired to do the activity we've walked too, lack of 'things' going on and only so many times you can do the park....