Is your child spending more time than ever on their smartphone or device? The Doctors welcome fitness expert Elise Miller to share tips on how to keep your little one active throughout the day and have fun doing it.

She recommends these tips:

• Set activity breaks through the day. If homeschooling, aim for 5 minutes every hour. If the kids are in school, do a 10-20-minute session after school before getting into homework. 
• Turn exercise into play. Kids love games. Get them pumped by channeling their imagination with fun challenges and obstacles.
• Let them take the lead. Have your kids pick exercises, movements, or stretches to do & you follow along. They’ll enjoy it more when they get some power.
• Parents or teachers, show your excitement. Kids feed off the energy of others. When you are getting into it and having fun, they will do. Frame activity as something you get to do, not something you have to do.
• Let it be casual. Avoid over-explaining and controlling. This steals the fun. Just move, laugh, and enjoy the time together.

The fitness expert also suggests having different games and exercises on flashcards and says her kids love picking out a card and playing the game. Some of her suggestions include:

1. Follow the Frog
Everyone get down and frog hop behind the leader as he/she does small, medium, and bullfrog sized bounds.

2. Toe Biters
Scatter stuffed animals around the floor in an obstacle course pattern from point A to point B. Players are allowed one jump to pass over each animal to reach the desired destination. Anyone who touches an animal is “out”. Challenge each other with elaborate courses.

3. Rocket Launch
Everyone squat down and hold the squat position until the rocket launcher (take turns) counts down, and calls for, blast off! Players jump or launch as high as they can. Make it extra fun by measuring each jump to see if you can get higher each time.

4. Falling Bridges
Everyone gets into a plank while music is playing. One child or parent controls the music. Randomly push “pause” & everyone drops out of the plank.

5. Floor is Lava
Players jog in place or around a room. Designate one person as the “temperature regulator”. When he/she yells “lava”, everyone gets those toes off the ground… knees up extra high & super-fast.

Get even more helpful exercise and fitness tips from Elyse!