As a general rule of thumb, they say it takes roughly 30 days to make a habit and 90 days to break a habit. Establishing good, healthy habits for our children helps lead to a full, active life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a minimum of 60 minutes of exercise per day for children; yet only one in three children are physically active each day. Here are some tips to getting your kids off the couch and starting a more active lifestyle.

Why Many Children Are Inactive

Studies have found that children spend an average of over seven and a half hours per day sitting in front of a screen, whether it is a TV, videogame, or computer. Additionally, added sugars and solid fats contribute to 40% of the total daily calories for children between the ages of two and 18; most of these come from soda, fruit drinks, dairy-based deserts, grain-based deserts, pizza, and whole milk alone. A recent survey found that many children lack any kind of nearby area to exercise in, as only one out of every five homes have a park or recreation facility within a half-mile.

Why Kids Camps?

Over the past 20 years that has been a nearly 90% increase in the number of day camps across the U.S. Today there are over 12,000 day and resident camps across the country with 5,000 acting as primary day camps. These kids camps get children off the couch and interacting with other children in their age group as they exercise, play, and learn together. There are over 11 million children and adults who attend summer camps and related programs in the United States each year; giving your child the gift of good habits could help inspire an active, healthy lifestyle.