Healthy Kids Day® Aims to Help Kids Exercise Minds and Bodies on April 26

On Saturday, April 26, the Waukesha YMCA and Mukwonago YMCA are holding a free community event to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active. YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day®, the Y’s national initiative to improve families’ health and well-being, features games, gardening, arts and crafts, public safety, and family fitness to motivate and teach families how to develop a healthy routine at home.   

Healthy Kids Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at both YMCA locations.

YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, celebrated at nearly 1,600 Ys across the country, aims to get more kids moving and learning, so they can keep up the habit all summer long – a critical out-of-school time for kids’ health. Research shows that without access to out-of-school physical and learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year.

“One in three U.S. children is obese. This statistic, coupled with the fact that once summer hits, children will be more idle, demonstrates why it’s important to help families develop healthy habits now,” said Sarah Millard, Communications and Marketing Director for the YMCA of Central Waukesha County. “As part of the Y’s commitment to healthy living through YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, our goal is to improve the health and well-being of kids and inspire habits they can continue into adulthood.”

In celebration of YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits:

• High Five the Fruits and Veggies – Make sure kids get at least five servings a day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend to maintain healthy childhood development.
• Foster an Early and Ongoing Passion for Books – Read to and with your kids. Help children read at every age and every stage of their development.
• Team Up for Athletic Events – Set a family goal of great health by teaming up for community or charity events like races, walks, fun runs, bike rides, etc.
• Volunteer Together – Find a cause that matters to the kids. Open their eyes to a world beyond themselves and the rich rewards that come from making a difference.
• Lead By Example – Be a good role model – kids can be influenced by seeing how hard their parents work at home or on the job, and how rewarding that experience is.

For more information, contact the Waukesha YMCA at 262-542-2557 or the Mukwonago YMCA at 262-363-7950.

The Y is the nation’s leading non-profit committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We are a powerful association of men, women and children joined together by a shared commitment to nurturing the potential of kids, promoting healthy living and fostering a sense of social responsibility. That’s why, at the Y, strengthening community is our cause. The YMCA of Central Waukesha County helps kids and families live healthy lives in spirit, mind and body. Supported in part through contributions to the Annual Community Support Campaign, the YMCA provides membership assistance and scholarships to programs like summer camp, child care and teen activities, so that no one is turned away due to an inability to pay.