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This Real Mom

This Real Mom

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Home / PARENTING / Tips for Running With Kids

Tips for Running With Kids

PARENTING

Yesterday, my 5 1/2 year old and I went for a run together. I asked him the day before what his favorite exercise was (since he’s been a little hyperactive and we’re trying to tire him out!), and he said running.

So yesterday afternoon, after the rain stopped, I told him to suit up and we headed out for our first run together. I decided to see how we could do on a 1.4 mile loop from our house. I knew the biggest issue would be to teach him pacing.

james and IWe went about a 0.3 miles and then took a walk break. We continued the run/walk combo for the whole loop! He made it, and I succeeded in tiring him out completely! We actually had a really fun time being silly and checking out the scenery. I guess it was a success, because he said he wanted to do it again today!

Here are a few tips for starting to run with your kids:

  1. Kids are like dogs—they need to learn the art of pacing when they just start out. Generally they sprint around, so they idea of a running a longer distance is a bit of a foreign concept.
  2. Just like when you started running, start with shorter distances and gradually build on. I started with the 1.4 loop just because my son already runs EVERYWHERE, so I had a feeling he could do it with the run/walk combo.
  3. If they don’t feel like going for a run, don’t force them. You want them to have a happy association with running.
  4. Try setting a goal (to run a certain distance, a kids race, etc.) to work towards.
  5. Going along with setting a goal, a reward system like a sticker chart can work great for keeping up your child’s motivation!
  6. The most important rule is HAVE FUN!
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December 16, 2013 · 2 Comments

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  1. Carlee says

    February 26, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    So excited that my son will be running his first race in a few weeks! He’s 2.5 and says he is so excited; he talks about it almost every day and wants to go pick out new running shoes.

    Reply
    • Jessica Morrison says

      February 26, 2015 at 9:02 pm

      Awww, so cute Carlee!! I love seeing the sheer joy kids find in running! I hope he has a great first race experience (and gets some new kicks to go with it!) 🙂

      Reply

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