Movement Matters: The Importance of Active Activities for Kids

Bring balance in to your baby’s life, both in class and at home, through FKO’s enrichment programs.

Boston Babies is happy to welcome back regular featured writer, Shari Kurtzman.  With a Masters in Child Development, she shares best practices with readers, helping parents navigate through some of the more common and challenging hot topics, providing insight and suggestions.  Below you will find information on how to keep your kids active, even during those colder New England months.

The importance of movement for children and families is a topic that has been recently discussed in the news, and more actively addressed as a way to target childhood obesity and establish a strong foundation for healthy living at an early age.  Boston Babies will continue to keep you on the parenting pulse of what’s best for your bouncing baby or tenacious toddler.

Read below to hear from Shari on how to keep your munchkin moving…

As the weather gets colder and we spend more time inside, kids need to find new outlets for their energy.  Scheduling one or two regular classes or activities for your family helps to break up the monotony of the work/school week and has added benefits for kids. Whether they are creative classes such as Zumbatomic and yoga or traditional structured classes like karate and dance – all programs support social skills and healthy habits that will continue as children get older.

Check out these five benefits of active activities for kids:

Fall Back to Basics

There is a certain simplicity to the summer that can be refreshing for families. However, while implementing structure back in to your family’s life may at first feel challenging, you and your little one will soon find a way to balance the fun of the summer with the set routine of the fall.

While even Boston Babies has taken a slight hiatus this summer, it is time to get back to basics and reacquaint yourself with the hustle and bustle of the fall season.  Sending your kids to class, managing a stricter schedule, and planning out your days can feel like a daunting task after you spent months enjoying a more relaxed routine filled with sun, sand and summer trips.

However, there is some solace in leaving those bohemian summer days behind you as your prepare for a more set schedule for you and your Boston Baby.  While no one will deny the energy and excitement that comes from spending a summer with friends and family, many Moms will also admit that there is some comfort that comes from reestablishing balance and structure back in to their families’ lives.

So enjoy the rest of your summer, as you slowly prepare to fall back to basics this season with some helpful tips from Shari Kurtzman, Regional Assistant For Kids Only (FKO) Manger for the Sports Club/LA-Boston and Chestnut Hill.  With a background in early childhood development, Shari will provide you with some ways to help support your child as they transition from a more relaxed routine during the summer, to a more structured schedule for the fall.

See below for best practices and enrichment classes that will allow your little one to still let loose, while they learn…combining the support and challenge required to help them meet their potential.

Creative, Curious Creatures: A Summer of Exploration

With a whole city to explore, there is no time to wait! Let your Boston Baby show you the way…and allow your day to be filled with a wonder and magic that is only made possible through their imagination!

The city sizzled today with the sounds of summer.  Reaching 90+ degrees, the Greenway fountains were in full swing, the “Boston Beach” was bustling with babies and the energy could be felt as residents soaked in the sun.

As exciting as summer can be, for many parents, it can also feel overwhelming to plan and program for their bouncing baby or tenacious toddler.  Families often over book themselves, committing to so many trips, obligatory occasions or excursions that they exhaust their summer rather than enjoy it.  Others can feel the opposite, where the “calmer” months of summer taunt and tease them, making them anxious over how best to keep their Boston Babies busy.

While these are very common feelings for families looking to find that happy medium between busy and bored, Boston Babies teamed up with Development Specialist Shari Kurtzman, to provide you with some helpful tips on how to keep your summer months serene, yet stimulating.

It is amazing how much energy and imagination children have, and how truly magical it is to experience life through their eyes.

Kids have such a fresh and creative take on things and find great pride in exploring themselves and the world around them.  Unfortunately this kind of innocent and exciting exploration can dissipate as people get older.  The day to day chores, work, to do lists, and monotony of adult responsibilities take the place of that once pure joy and excitement experienced through discovery.

While it is not always possible, Boston Babies would like to invite you to take a deep breath, put down your iPhone (iPad, iCal, and any other Apple based product) and enter in to a world that seems so far away, but can be found right in front of your very eyes.  Children possess a youth, an appreciation for and understanding of the world in a way that is sometimes lost on  adults.  Use this summer as a chance to recapture your youth, reconnect with your kids and relinquish control…

See below for tips from Shari on how to enter the mind of your munchkin!

Get Busy in Boston

This Boston Baby is styling to hit the streets and participate in some of Boston’s best programs this weekend.

As the weather gets warmer in the city, there is so much to do to keep busy in Boston.  From The Rose Kennedy Greenway–and its many fountains, food trucks and free classes–to the Harbor Islands, outdoor enthusiasts have many memorable moments to look forward to this season.

Of course you can’t forget The Esplanade, with its family friendly parks and programs, and its quickly approaching annual Earth Fest taking place on Saturday, May 18th at the Hatch Shell.  While Boston Babies will continue to keep you posted on all the wonderful opportunities to enjoy throughout the spring and summer months, start first by planning some fun filled activities for the whole family this weekend.

Boston Babies would like to tell you about a few incredible events to participate in this Saturday, May 4th.

Whether you want to start your morning with a workout, donate to One Fund, join families for a clean-up at The Christopher Columbus Park Playground, or indulge in your favorite food truck treats, Boston is booming with programs this weekend.

See below for additional details:

 

Make Winter Vacation a Play-cation!

Boston Babies knows that the holidays can be stressful, but don’t send your munchkin packing quite yet! Check out these seasonal suggestions for family fun!

Happy holidays to all of Boston Babies’ Moms, Dads, Nanis, Papis, bouncing babies, tenacious toddlers and creative kids!  While the holidays are a time for rest, relaxation and celebration, they can also be stressful and exhausting for many families.

Take a break, catch your breath and regroup, because Boston Babies has many ways for you to unwind with your family this season. Boston Babies is honored to have a festive feature from Developmental Specialist, Shari Kurtzman.  Head in to your long weekend and start your New Year with some suggestions below from Shari on how to handle winter vacation in a way that allows for easy and enjoyable family fun.

Say bye-bye to boredom and winter blues by making any vacation a PLAY-cation! Play based activities for all ages can promote abstract thinking, socialization, language acquisition and so much more. These activities don’t have to be messy or expensive – save money and sanity this winter play-cation and start playing with some of these ideas today!

Swim as a Family this Fall

Nothings says, “Daddy Daughter Time,” like bonding with your Boston Baby in the pool!

Swimming is a wonderful way to connect with your kids, support and challenge your little ones, and ensure that you will not only have fun as a family, but encourage your children to develop an understanding and appreciation of the water.  Join fellow friends and families from in and around the city, as they bond with their Boston Babies in the pool!

For Kids Only at The Sports Club/LA-Boston will offer its Fall Session 2 Guppies and Goldfish classes starting Saturday, November 17th.  See below for additional details to sign up your swimmer!

Guppies & Goldfish Infant & Toddler Swim Classes
Learn the best ways to hold, introduce and “play” with your baby in the water.  By incorporating songs, techniques, toys and allowing families time to practice on their own, the teacher will create a fun learning experience based on how to balance the challenge and support needed to enhance early swim development.

Fall Back to Class

It’s so hard to say goodbye…but the fun doesn’t have to end just because the summer does. Boston Babies still have so much to look forward to this fall!

The summer has been wonderful and warm, allowing Boston Babies to truly enjoy all of the arts and entertainment opportunities offered throughout the city as well as vacations spent on the shore.  As much as the season’s end leaves many longing for more fun in the sun, there is something to be said for the steady routine that follows families in to the fall months.

Start your September with The Sports Club/LA-Boston’s Enrichment Classes offered through For Kids Only (FKO).  Whether your new born wants to move to the music, or your little guppy needs to gain a better grasp of his or her water skills, FKO will meet your munchkin’s programming needs.

Boston Babies can participate in art and music classes, dance and sports as well as enrichment programs that provide the structure, support and challenge  needed for children to develop both in and outside of the classroom.

See below for some of the many opportunities available for your family this fall.