Tacoma, Wash., April 22, 2022 — The YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties is hosting the Y’s annual Healthy Kids Day® on Saturday, April 30 from 9-11am, encouraging families to take a moment to help kids be kids and set them up for a summer of success. Sponsored by Howard Johnson® by Wyndham, the event will feature activities such as games, healthy activities, youth programming demonstrations, arts and crafts, competitions, and giveaways to motivate and teach families how to develop and maintain healthy routines at home.
“At the Y, we believe in the potential of all children and each day we work to help kids find that potential within themselves and supports is development,” said Charlie Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Healthy Kids Day is a fun, free community-wide event to kick off summer and remind us all how important it is for kids and families to stay active physically and mentally throughout the summer.”
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families. The Y hopes to use the day to get more kids moving and learning, creating healthy habits they can continue while they’re away from the classroom. When kids are out of school, they can face hurdles that prevent them from reaching their full potential. Research shows that without access to out-of-school learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than during the school year. With all that’s going on in the world right now, Healthy Kids Day is a reminder to families that we can help ensure all children have access to what they need to reach their full potential, even during out-of-school time.
Keeping Kids Healthy All Summer Long
In celebration of YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits this summer that can have a lifetime effect:
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High Five the Fruits and Veggies – Make sure kids get at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend for 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.
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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.
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Get Moving! – Activities that require movement also help kids flex their mental muscle. Use materials in unique ways: ask youth to build models, manipulate tools or develop their own theatrical scenes.
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Play Together – Play may be the best way to prevent childhood obesity. By putting more play into your family’s day, you will soon find yourself getting the activity that will have your family feeling energized and strong.
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Make sleep a priority – Doctors recommend 10-12 hours of sleep a day for children ages 5-12 and 7-8 hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, and learning.
The YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties’ Healthy Kids Day takes place at each of its family community centers from 9-11am and features fun, active play and educational activities, games, prizes, community partners, and more, including a special appearance from Rhubarb the Reindeer – mascot for the Tacoma Rainiers.
Locally, Healthy Kids Day is sponsored by Sound Credit Union and Gordon Truck Centers, Freightliner Northwest, and through partnerships with Mary Bridge and the Tacoma Rainiers.
For more information, visit ymcapkc.org/healthy-kids.
About YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties
Driven by its founding mission, the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties serves as a leading 501c(3) nonprofit committed to strengthening community. Since 1883, we have worked to empower everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across Pierce and Kitsap Counties. Learn more at ymcapkc.org.
About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 177 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. ymca.org
About Howard Johnson® by Wyndham
Ice cream. Family vacations. Happiness. For nearly a century, Howard Johnson® by Wyndham has played a special role in helping generations of families create memories that last a lifetime. That tradition continues today thanks to nearly 300 Howard Johnson hotels worldwide. Offering a wide range of amenities—all chosen to help create happy, memorable stays—guests at most locations enjoy free Wi-Fi, swimming pools, pet friendly rooms and more. Howard Johnson is proud to be an official sponsor of the Y’s Healthy Kids Day® and is committed to helping communities stay active, make memories and have fun. To learn more, or to book your next stay, visit www.hojo.com. You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram. Go Happy. Go HoJo.