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Exercise Your Mind at Monkey Joe’s Winter Park

Posted on Aug 19, 2016

The backpacks and lunches are packed, the class rosters are out, and Winter Park students have headed back to school for the 2016-2017 school year. As a parent, you obviously want your child to have a wonderful year full of learning and academic success, but there's one factor that could be affecting your child's academic performance that you may not know about--their physical activity level! 

Studying is important, but hitting the books isn't the only thing your child needs to do to succeed in school. According to a recent study published in Pediatrics, kids who exercised for at least 70 minutes per day (60 minutes per day is the recommended daily minimum for kids) had stronger thinking skills than their less-active peers. 

So, how can you encourage your kids to be more active? For starters, lead by example. If you normalize physical activity and find ways to enjoy it, your kids will be more likely to see exercise in a positive light. 

It's also important to remember that they are kids, so exercise should be fun. Whereas adults often have more targeted fitness goals, like running a 10k or benchpressing a certain weight, kids don't need to be slogging away on a treadmill. Let them try different activities and sports to find what they enjoy most, which can help them make fitness a lifelong habit.

And don't underestimate the exercise potential of free play! Running around the backyard, climbing trees, or jumping at Monkey Joe's are all excellent ways for kids to burn off some energy while having a blast. Bring them to our indoor playground in Winter Park for hours of bouncing fun on our jumps, slides, and obstacles. You can even pick up a Frequent Jumper Card to save on regular admission.