YMCA holds Healthy Kids Day
Sussex Family YMCA held its annual Healthy Kids Day Saturday, April 21, where more than 200 participants from around the area came to enjoy a day of games, snacks, learning and just plain fun. The Healthy Kids day is the YMCA's national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families.
Kids played soccer, volleyball, flag football and even participated in kids' Zumba at the event. Healthy snacks like popcorn, Rita's water ice, fruits and even tasty and healthy S'mores were enjoyed by the participants.
More than 1.2 million participants across the nation celebrated the day at 1,500 YMCAs. Healthy Kids Day is a reminder to kids to remain active when not in school during the summer.
"It's a great way for us to kick off our summer camp and give out information to the community about our kids' events and our Open Doors Scholarship Program," said Membership/ Wellness Director Suzette Chambers-Marrin. "The day was a great success."
The YMCA Open Doors Scholarship provides a sliding fee scale that is designed to fit each individual's financial situation.
According to the YMCA, these tips can help families develop healthy habits this summer that can have a lifetime effect:
High-five the fruits and veggies. Kids should have at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables, 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.
Read together. The summer is a great time to enjoy books with summer program participants, and 30 minutes a day goes a long way. Take trips to the local library or create a family reading challenge to see who can log the most minutes of reading. Encourage youth to create their own stories as well.
Get moving. Activities that require movement also help kids flex their mental muscles. Use materials in unique ways: ask youth to build models, manipulate tools or develop their own theatrical scenes.
Play together. Play may be the best way to prevent childhood obesity. By putting more play into the day, family members will find themselves getting the activity that will have them feeling energized and strong.
Make sleep a priority. Doctors recommend 10 to 12 hours of sleep a day for children ages 5 to 12 and seven to eight hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining healthy immune systems, metabolism, mood, memory, learning and other vital functions.
For more information call 302-296-9622 or go to www.ymcade.org/sussex.
