Stay Fit as a Family with Walk and Talk

School’s out, summer’s here … now what? Some parents embrace the start of summer with glee – filled with visions of beach trips, blockbuster movies, and all kinds of warm-weather fun to enjoy with their kids. For others, however, the start of summer might inspire a sense of dread. How will you fill those long, less-structured weeks and months ahead before school starts up again? Will your kids be energetic and independent about their summer activities, or will you have to field whines of “I’m bored” and demands for screen time every five seconds?

Walk and Talk Facilitates Quality Time with Kids

For parents and guardians on either side of the issue, the idea of having meaningful conversations with their kids might seem like a pipe dream, but Marathon Kids has you covered! Walk and Talk is a free summer program geared toward increasing children’s summertime physical activity, reducing their screen time and, best of all, connecting them with their parents through exercise and quality conversation.

Research shows that kids have a better chance of developing lifelong healthy habits when the whole family gets involved, and the benefits of regular walking or running are myriad and well-documented. These include a more positive mood and outlook, better focus and academic performance, greater emotional resiliency, and more.

Walk and Talk brings all these benefits as it helps families get to know each other better in a way that’s fun and low-stress. Kids (and parents, too!) often find it easier to share their thoughts and feelings when they’re engaged in an activity. The Walk and Talk program focuses on social-emotional development, helping children develop greater kindness and empathy as they put one foot in front of the other side-by-side with their parents.

How Does Walk and Talk Work?

When parents register online (again, it’s free to sign up!), they receive instant access to a special mileage log and 26 suggested topics to get the conversation flowing as they log one mile at a time of walking or running with their children. The goal is to cover one full, cumulative marathon — 26.2 miles — by summer’s end. (Of course, covering even more miles is great, too!)

The conversation starters that Marathon Kids provides are designed to engage very young children all the way up to high schoolers and college-aged young adults. They cover a broad range of subjects, themes, and levels of complexity, from fantastical what-if scenarios to in-depth questions about friendship, growing up, hopes, fears, and the state of the world. By the end of summer, families will enjoy the satisfaction of having completed a marathon together and gotten to know each other a little better along the way.

More About Marathon Kids

Marathon Kids is on a mission to get kids moving! This nonprofit organization is dedicated to improving children’s health and happiness through walking and running, showing kids they can achieve more than they ever thought possible, and setting them on the path to healthier lives. Schools, homeschooling co-ops, and families across the country participate in Marathon Kids run clubs, with a goal of completing four cumulative marathons — a total of 104.8 miles — through the course of the run club season. Marathon Kids provides coaches and runners with mileage logs, milestone rewards, and more along the way to keep runners motivated and engaged.

Walk and Talk is a special, free summertime program especially for families to connect and stay active during the “off season”. Sign up online today to start your family’s summer walk-and-talk adventure!