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YMCA Cape Cod Awakens Summer Imagination at Annual Healthy Kids Day

Event encourages kids to stay active and keep learning all summer long

WEST BARNSTABLE, MA—On Saturday, April 21, the West Barnstable YMCA is holding a free community event to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active at the annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day®, the Y’s national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families.

The event, running from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, features every Y department and activities for the whole family, including: A Fun Run starting at 11:30 AM to kick things off, pony rides, bounce houses, touch a truck demonstrations, camp arts and crafts, an artistic mural making opportunity, healthy selfie station, raffles & prizes from local businesses, YMCA giveaways, and plenty of refreshments. The event will take place at the West Barnstable YMCA, 2245 Iyannough Road, West Barnstable MA 02668.

The community will also have the opportunity to join the Y via a Family Membership and choose one of the following when they sign up: $50 off childcare registration, $50 off camp registration, or “buy one get one” half off for swim lessons.

Healthy Kids Day®, celebrated at over 1,500 Ys across the country by over 1.2 million participants, works to get more kids moving and learning, creating habits that they continue all summer long.  When kids are out of school, they can face hurdles that prevent them from reaching their full potential. Research shows that without access to out-of-school learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year.

As spring turns to summer, Healthy Kids Day® is a powerful reminder not to let children idle away their summer days. Instead, the Y wants families to focus on helping children imagine what they can accomplish over the summer.

Keeping Kids Healthy All Summer Long

In celebration of YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day®, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits this summer that can have a lifetime effect:

  • 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. And to keep kids’ taste buds evolving, have everyone in the family try at least one bite of a new fruit or vegetable at least once a month. The YMCA Nutritionist, Lauren, will have a booth set up to give more info about sugar in your diet and be serving a healthy snack for all. Local businesses will have refreshments available.
  • Read Together – The summer is a great time to enjoy books with summer program participants—and 30 minutes a day goes a long way! Take trips to the local library or create a family reading challenge to see who can log the most minutes of reading. Encourage youth to create their own stories as well. The YMCA will host a group reading during the event with our Achiever’s Program Director, Rene.
  • Get Moving! – Activities that require movement also help kids flex their mental muscle. Use materials in unique ways: ask youth to build models, manipulate tools or develop their own theatrical scenes. There will be 3 fitness demonstrations during the evening, including yoga, karate, and fit kids! Also, t-ball, soccer, a fun run, bike safety obstacle course, and more!
  • Play Together – Play may be the best way to prevent childhood obesity. By putting more play into your family’s day, you will soon find yourself getting the activity that will have your family feeling energized and strong. The event will bring in local vendors with family resources including “touch a truck”, pony rides, camp activities, and more. Bring the whole family to enjoy the day together.
  • Make sleep a priority – Doctors recommend 10-12 hours of sleep a day for children ages 5-12 and 7-8 hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, learning and other vital functions. After a day full of activities and fun – rest is important too! We can’t wait to see you there.

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YMCA CAPE COD|2245 Route 132|West Barnstable, MA 02668|508-362-6500|Website by Design Principles, Inc.

The Lyndon P. Lorusso YMCA will be closed on Sunday, March 31st for the Easter Holiday