Keep Your Kids Active This Summer With Packers Football Camp (and a giveaway!!) #eatlikeapacker

It’s no secret that today’s kids are generally not as active as kids from past generations. Parents seem to fight a loosing battle against technology when it come to capturing kids’ interest and our efforts to keep them active. Luckily for parents in Wisconsin, we have some help from none other than the Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camp!

Kids are more likely to exercise if it is a fun activity that they don’t necessarily think of as exercise per se. If you ask LJ if he likes to exercise, he would say no. But ask him what he likes to do and he will tell you “play sports, ride bikes, hike, and run”. Funny how kids think, huh? Seems that LJ isn’t the only one: “Kids do Packers Youth Football Camps because they are fun,” says Tom Finks, Executive Director of Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps. “They don’t know that there is this big, underlying health initiative happening underneath all the fun-filled activities.”

The Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps are safe, non-contact instruction for kids ages 6-14 and are very suitable for any kid that just wants to learn the game. They provide a station-based training format that allows campers to be divided by age and experience level so each receives the right level of instruction and support. Kids will learn to run, throw, catch, defend, form block, form tackle and explode out of their stance with proper technique and improved speed. The camps, which each run for 5 days from 9am to 3pm (that’s 30 hours active learning, instruction and fun!), do more than just introduce kids to sports, they make kids passionate about being healthy and help develop a lifelong love of fitness.

Personally, I love the idea that the kids are divided up by age AND skill levels, so every kid is working at a level where they feel comfortable. I also like that it is non-contact (even though I’m sure LJ would disagree!). Camps are held throughout Wisconsin and there is probably a camp right near you. Click here for specific camp dates and locations.

Has there been someone who has influenced your child to live a more active, healthier life? Say “thank you” by visiting the Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps Facebook page to nominate that “Healthy Hero” who has made an impact on your child’s life. The ‘Hero’ can be someone you know or just someone you admire. One “Hero” will be selected and featured in an upcoming Green Bay Packers Youth Football blog.

Tips for Parents from Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps:

Focus on New Achievements:

Kids love learning new skills and are always excited to succeed. “At our camps, through fun skill challenges, fun competitions and fun games, kids exert themselves—often beyond their normal comfort level,” says Finks. Finks suggests introducing your child to a new skill—making great catches, running faster, setting an obstacle record, etc., which will often get your child to push him or herself on their own. “The fitness discovery is indirect,” adds Finks. “They experience an increased work capacity or ability. They see that they can move faster and longer than they ever imagined and for a longer period of time. That experience raises their understanding of what their bodies can achieve.”

Talk about the Affects of Exercise:

Once kids begin exercising regularly, they will notice how different their body feels. “They are relaxed, they sleep well, they are happy,” adds Finks. “Their body may be tired, but it’s a ‘good tired’ and parents should openly talk about this.” This is also a great time to begin talking about how the foods you put in your body affect how your body performs. Off the field moments during camps include nutritional education games, interactive classroom activities such as “Eat Like a Packer” and lunch hours for kids and coaches. There is even an interactive online game called “Eat Like a Pro”—which is a great tool for starting the parent/kid nutrition discussion “Kids are now primed to consider what kinds of foods will help them perform better tomorrow than they did today,” says Finks. “You want them to begin thinking about what foods provide them energy, repair muscles and help them feel great.”

Provide Proper Motivation:

Just as all kids are different, all kids are motivated by different things. Parents need to tap into the one or two things that will motivate their child to try his or her hardest and do their best. “At camps, kids want to run hard for different reasons. From making a great catch to winning a leadership award,” says Finks. “Either way, that child is going to give it everything he has to achieve his own personal goal.”

Giveaway:

One lucky Wisconsin Mommy reader will win a Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps prize package that will include:
2 G-Force Water applied tattoos
1 G-Force beaded necklace
1 G-Force Sticker
1 “Return to Titletown” story of the 2010 Super Bowl Packers—soft cover