We all know that people are stretched for time these days, especially parents juggling the demands of working plus full-time parenting.

A study from nib New Zealand and NeilsonIQ found that 40% of parents find it challenging to make the time to ensure their kids are getting the exercise they need, which is important for both physical and mental wellbeing.

How can time-poor parents make it work?

nib parenting expert and neuroscience director, Nathan Wallis, says one approach is to kill two birds with one stone and get your kids involved in things you don’t have time to do.

For example, get the kids to do outdoor chores like window cleaning - this will keep them active while you get on with making dinner.

Financial stress can also put barriers up as the cost of activities or equipment can sometimes be prohibitive. However, Nathan says low cost or free activities that don’t rely on expensive equipment could be one way to go about it.

nib Blues Lock Eloise Blackwell, suggests ‘stuck in the mud’ as a free and fun activity that can be done in the backyard or local park - and the best thing about it, is if it’s raining outside you can play this game inside.

Blues Prop Josh Fusitu’a says his go to kids game was ‘hide and seek’.

“It’s an easy game, you can play it anywhere,” he says.

nib Blues First Five Ruahei Demant, says her dad was a cray fisherman, so as kids they would use his fishing rope to play skipping rope and double dutch - saving money and still being able to make your own fun!

It goes to show that by getting creative about how you exercise you can save time and money.

To read more about how to get kids active, visit:

• https://www.nib.co.nz/news-and-media/news-details/nib-survey-finds-54-of-kids-do-less-than-one-hour-of-exercise-a-day
• https://www.nib.co.nz/free-resources/article/getting-kids-active-advice-series-set-a-good-example-get-stuck-in-outside
• https://www.nib.co.nz/free-resources/article/getting-kids-active-resources-for-parents-to-help-get-kids-moving/