As most parents know by now, having kids doesn’t mean you need to stop running or give up on your running goals. Many women run through pregnancy and many parents start or continue running once they have kids. There are definitely challenges that go along with running as a parent but it can be done! Even better is to start involving your kids in your running. This allows you to spend time with your kids and share your love of running with them from an early age!
6 Fun Ways to Involve Your Kids in Your Running
The ways you involve your kids in your running will change based on their age, but here are some ideas to consider!
1. Take your kids on stroller runs
Stroller runs are a win-win for parents because it allows us to get in our run and our kids can come along with us. Starting at around 6 months most babies can ride in a jogging stroller. They can nap in there or play with toys or just look around at the outdoors! Depending on the weight limit of your stroller you may be able to run with your child until they are 5-6 years old. As they get older it’s a great way to spend together and talk about all different things while keeping them involved in your running.
Here are a few articles I’ve written about stroller running:
10 Important Steps to Starting Stroller Running for Postpartum Moms
How To Dress Babies and Toddlers For Stroller Runs in the Cold
Best Tips for Stroller Running With Toddlers from Real Mother Runners
How to Run with Proper Form When Using a Jogging Stroller
What It’s Like To Stroller Run With a 1 Year Old
2. Let them play while you run or exercise
If you have a workout area in your house you can try to set up a play area nearby for your kids. This allows them to play while you exercise and you can still see them. Your kids will be able to watch you work out and may even try to create their own little workout routine. As they get older you can let them “play” with safe items like foam rollers or soft exercise balls to make them feel included.
3. Have them bike while you run to get them involved in your running
Once your child learns to ride a bike you may be able to go for a run with them while they bike! This is a great way for your child to get in some movement and to get outside, and you can get your run done! As they get older they may even be able to run a bit with you.
4. Bring them to watch you run in a race
As your kids learn that running is important to you they will likely become curious about races (if you are training for one). Involve your kids in your running by letting them come to cheer you on! Hopefully they will enjoy the atmosphere and be inspired to work towards their own goals. We also want them to learn that exercise is fun.
5. Find a family friendly race with a short distance your kids can run
See if you can find a family-friendly race with distances for kids. Some have 1/4 or 1/2 mile races or depending on their age your child may be able to work up to a 5k. You or another adult can run with them to encourage them along the way!
6. Talk to them about your running
Your child may be curious about why you run and what it means to train for races. Involve your kids in your running by talking with them about the things you love about running and why it’s important to work towards goals. Make sure you keep the conversation positive. Don’t make exercise sound like a punishment or something you do to lose weight, burn off certain foods, etc. Try not to push running onto them, but share it in a way that may leave them interested in wanting to run on their own.
Being able to share our love of running with our kids can be really fun. There are many ways to involve your kids in your running which can leave them interested and excited about it. Even if they don’t pick up running hopefully they will learn that exercise is fun and that it’s important to work towards your goals!
You may also like:
10 Reasons to Love Running
10 Tips to Help You Become a Morning Runner
If you are a parent, how did you involve your kids in your running?
Now it’s time for the Runners’ Roundup! Link up your running and fitness posts below! Join myself, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, and Runs with Pugs to post your favorite running tips, experiences, race and training recaps, workouts, gear, and coaching ideas.
These are great ways! I have a friend with two small boys and they used to accompany her on their bikes. Now they are old enough to participate in kid’s races and they love it!
I see Grayson is racing too! Very nice!
These are all such great ideas! My boys are now in their 20’s, but when they were younger I would take them to the track with me (it was an older high school with a track open to the public) and they would bring their scooters and have a blast while I was running! We also had a park that had a paved path that circled around it. They could play while I ran and I could keep my eyes on them. I feel like jogging strollers were just becoming popular when my boys were really little, but I could be wrong!
Showing your kids how active you are and teaching them how to learn to love to move is a great gift!
Oh, this is so great! We tried with the bike riding and registering him for races, but he wasn’t so into it as he got older. It happens. Best laid plans, right? He has his own hobbies that do NOT include any kind of running, but maybe one day he’ll come back to it.
Great ideas. I didn’t start running myself until my kids were teenagers. Fortunately, my youngest found his own love of running in high school. I have loved watching my social media friends introduce their children to running and I enjoy watching how much they enjoy it.