Indoor kids activities are great, but they often involve something that is not—they are often electronics related. You name it—smart phones, tablets, laptops, video gaming systems—they’re everywhere and chances are you can just look around and see someone staring down at one. Many times in your own home! Today’s youth are becoming so consumed with electronics that it has reached epidemic proportions. A look of complete panic overtakes them when you give the simple request to set their device aside for a bit so you can chat, or sometimes even eat a family dinner together. Of course, this is assuming that you’ve been successful in snapping them out of there zombie trance so they can respond. On that note, has anyone taking notice to the rising challenge many, not just our younger generation, are starting to have with face to face conversations? Looking at the person you are talking with is slowly becoming a lost art—at minimal, a forgotten courtesy. Furthermore, speaking in slang free sentences is now a thing of the past. It’s time for kids and parents alike to unite and create fun family activities they’ll all enjoy doing that are electronic free. Participate in action activities that involve getting up off the couch to laugh and make stories that can be talked about together! These are activities that are just as entertaining, if not more, than the electronic time we are looking to shrink.
There are so many benefits to jumping rope and they all start with one common feature—FUN! Skipping games are fun and something the whole family can do together and they are also a fantastic way to improve the social skills in children.
Helping children feel better around their peers while also fostering ways that they grow with one another is an important pursuit for any parent. Here are a few ways which a simple jump rope can help out with this very important building block:
Conquering Shyness—jump ropes are a great “ice breaker”. Jump roping is easy to learn, inexpensive, and a great way for kids to have fun experimenting with different jumps. They are easy to transport and can be a great attention getter at any local playground when you get some games started and start improving upon your kids’ social skills with something fun that they like doing!
Creativity—there are no complex games or rules with skipping rope. Kids can create fun activities using their jump ropes that fit with their personalities and truly connect with other kids. Relaxed and having fun, kids will just play and the time will fly by! Indoors and Out—skipping games are both out and indoor kids activities, meaning weather won’t factor into their play. So on rainy days, electronics aren’t the only option for spending time with friends and having fun!
Jumping can make you smarter. Research has shown exercise and jumping rope are a great for your body to release Endorphins. These stimulants give us a sense of well-being and relaxation. A few more examples of jump rope benefits to the brain:
Studies have demonstrated jumping helps to develop the left and right hemispheres of the brain to further improve awareness, reading skills, increases memory, and mental alertness.
Jumping on the balls of your feet requires your mind and body to make neural muscular adjustments to imbalances created from continuous jumping. As a result, jumping improves coordination and dynamic balance.
Skipping rope encourages your child to be creative. It’s remarkable what can be done in freestyle jumping. Scissors, criss-cross, heal to toe, up and overs, one foot circles, and many other moves make performing and watching a fun time for kids!Skipping rope helps improve motor skills. Things like timing, coordination, balance, and posture can all benefit and help give that athletic look and confidence. All of these things may play an important part in contributing to a child’s overall happiness.
Jumping rope improves:
Muscular strength and endurance
Bone density
Reflexes
Your kid might think it’s all about playing, having fun, and just hanging with family and friends, but the reality is they are getting a total body workout (the play feature is a great side benefit)! Jumping rope uses the cardio (heart), arms, legs, back, shoulders, and core; building lean muscles in nearly every part of the body! All of which are cool jump rope benefits!
We all know that physical activity is vital for the growth and development of young kids, and team sports such as basketball are extremely beneficial to their health. Not only is playing basketball a fun way for kids to stay active, it helps them form friendships, learn to work in a team and provide them with an outlet for their energy.
The skills developed from playing basketball at a young age will benefit them in their personal and professional future. From toddler and teen to young adult and middle age, social skills and motor skills are an essential part of everyday life, and with basketball, kids can learn these early on in a safe environment.
WHAT BASKETBALL TEACHES KIDS:
Playing basketball at a young age teaches kids what it means to be a good team player. As an interactive, social sport, kids learn to communicate with one another and strive towards a common goal together.
Through both winning and losing a game of basketball, kids are taught what good sportsmanship looks like, and how to be respectful to opponents. There will be instances in their life when they must compete with other people and playing team sports allows kids to understand the importance of humility.
During a game of basketball essential motor skills are continuously used. Playing requires balance, endurance and coordination, and kids can learn how their body moves. The more active kids are, the more resilient they will psychically be. It also teaches them about injury prevention through proper training, warming up, stretching and cooling down.
As a very social sport, playing basketball helps kids develop their communication and social skills. They learn how to talk to others, make new friends and it gives them an understanding of the different abilities of other people.
Most importantly, through playing basketball, kids learn that being active is fun. This lesson is crucial to their physical, mental and emotional health and the earlier they associate exercise with enjoyment, they are more likely to remain active throughout their life.
Chess can raise your IQ
Chess has always had a bit of an image problem, being seen as a game for brainiacs and nerds who already have stratospherically high IQs. So there’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation: do smart people gravitate towards chess, or does playing chess make them smart?
Well, in a review of the educational benefits of chess, Robert Ferguson describes a study of 4,000 Venezuelan students, which showed significant increases in the IQ scores of children after four months of chess instruction. Other research has corroborated these results of skill transfer.
Of course it probably works both ways: people who are naturally predisposed to strategic, “thinking” games tend to have higher IQs anyway, but playing chess also develops those same skills so after some time, it should reflect in their IQ scores.
