Snoqualmie Valley YMCA hosts event to keep children active and learning all summer long
Published 7:30 am Thursday, April 27, 2017
The Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, along with nine other Greater Seattle branches, will hold a free community event to inspire children to keep their minds and bodies active, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29. The event is the annual YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y’s national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families.
The three-hour event will feature activities such as YMCA Campland, make and take healthy snacks and obstacle courses to motivate and teach families how to develop healthy routines at home.
YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, celebrated at more than 1,600 Ys across the country by more than 1.2 million participants, works to get more kids moving and learning, creating habits that they continue all summer long. Research shows that without access to out-of-school learning activities, kids fall behind academically; this summer learning loss is more pronounced among students from low-income families. Kids also gain weight twice as fast in summer than they do in the school year.
In celebration of YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits:
• High-five the fruits and veggies – Make sure kids get at least five servings a day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend to maintain healthy childhood development. And to keep kids’ taste buds evolving, have everyone in the family try at least one bite of a new fruit or vegetable at least once a month.
• Foster an early and ongoing passion for books – Read to and with your kids. Help children read at every age and every stage of their development.
• Team up for athletic events – Set a family goal of great health by teaming up for community or charity events like races, walks, fun runs, bike rides, etc.
• Volunteer together – Find a cause that matters to the kids. Open their eyes to a world beyond themselves and the rich rewards that come from making a difference.
• Make sleep a priority – Doctors recommend 10 to 12 hours of sleep a day for children ages 5 to 12 and 7 to 8 hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, learning and other vital functions.
For more information, contact Deborah Montelaro at (425) 256-3157 or visit seattleymca.org.
