Excess calories and lack of physical activity add up over time and can increase your child's risk of becoming overweight. For every hour a child spends in front of the television, his intake of food increases by 167 calories on average, meaning that watching television is linked to eating more calories, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are things you can do to prevent this and help your child become involved in regular exercise.
Walking the Dog
As your child gets old enough she can be responsible for taking the dog on a walk each day. This will get her to exercise and teach her responsibility. To get her excited about dog walking, see whether she wants to start a small dog-walking business and walk some of the neighbors' dogs.
Play Tag
A common game of tag is a way to fit exercise into your child's routine. Encourage your child to start a game with the neighborhood kids. Motive the children to play each week by giving a trophy to the winner. Have the trophy move from house to house as the winners change over the weeks.
Ride Bikes Together
Go on regular bike rides with your child. Have your child come up with a new bike route each week and let him be your guide on the route.
Race the Bus
If you live in an area where you feel comfortable letting your child walk home alone and she is responsible enough to get there safely, encourage her to get off the school bus a stop or two early. You can motivate her by having a friend walk with her, or if she is competitive she can try to beat the bus home. Also, you could walk to a bus stop farther away and then walk home with your child.
Dance
Turn on some music and have an informal dance party with your children to fit exercise in their day. Find songs that are easy to dance to, and laugh and dance with your children for 20 to 30 minutes.
Yard Work
Have kids help you out with raking the leaves or mowing the lawn with a push mower. Motivate your children to do yard work by giving them a reward upon completion such as allowance or visiting one of their favorite places. It is important to think about your children's strength, coordination and maturity when assigning these types of tasks, the American Heart Association advises.
Use a Pedometer
For a kid who is into numbers or especially competitive, give him a pedometer. The pedometer will motivate the child to walk to and from places and see how far he has gone each day.
Team Sports
Get your children involved in a team sport. The practices will provide an assortment of exercises and help kids build relationships with their peers. The sport does not have to be organized; even a disk golf outing with friends is exercise.
Visit the Park
The open space and the novelty of the park can inspire your children to be active. Hunt for items on a list, or look for butterflies or other wildlife common to the park. Make it challenging by seeing who can find all the items first.
Go Hiking
Give your child a book on things she finds interesting in nature, such as birds, plants or rocks. Then take a trip to some trails that you have never been to before. Hike the trails with your child and encourage her to find things in her book along the way.
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