How To Get Your Kids Into Running
Nurturing your little athlete’s passion for running during childhood has many benefits – setting the foundations for them to grow into active, optimistic and confident adults.
Physically, running helps children develop strong bones, muscles and organs – making them less prone to injury and more adaptable to tolerating a higher physical stress load during sport. It builds their cardio health, coordination and movement skills, helps ward off childhood obesity and improves sleep quality to elevate their concentration and learning capabilities in everyday life.
Mentally, running is a way of growing resilience to adversity. It provides a sense of achievement, stimulates creativity and improved cognitive function, boosts mood as an outlet for your child's energy and emotions, and is a proactive way to build healthy relationships with family and their peers.
With movement comes happiness, freedom and positive self-esteem.
Every child is different, but all children benefit from having supportive parents that help shape a positive attitude towards health, running and sport. In this blog we’ll provide insight into effective ways you can motivate your child and support their running journey from heel-to-toe.
Encourage your child & lead by example
Forcing your child to be active is never going to stick and will likely cause them to associate running with negative connotations, viewing it as a chore or even a punishment. We want to frame running in as positive a light as possible – because yes, it can be challenging but challenges lead to a sense of accomplishment.
Leading by example shouldn’t be underestimated. Especially at a young age, children are naturally little ‘copy cats’ of their parents. Being a runner yourself and sharing with your child the positive benefits of running can engage their interest and inspire them, so don’t hesitate to show your excitement for lacing up.
You can use these running pram tips to get the smallest members of the family enjoying the outdoors from a young age to make it a healthy habit. For older kids, inviting them out for a run with you gives them the power of choice.
Don’t be disheartened if they refuse at first – keep running, keep offering and avoid giving them a ‘guilt-trip’ if they refuse. Piling on the pressure can be damaging and have the opposite effect to your good intentions. Simply ask again next time and be sure to express your pride and enthusiasm when they do participate.
Tackle runs & race day with praise and without pressure
Participating in a race can be transformative for young children as they are captured in the buzz and enthusiasm of the day. Signing up for a Fun Run with your little athlete helps keep the mood light and enjoyable and can become a positive bonding activity while helping teach them the value of goal setting.
Positive reinforcement is key. Praise your child for choosing to run with you and reward their efforts. If your child falls over and gets back up again, celebrate their perseverance and let them know by cheering them on.
Purchasing a drink bottle just for them can inspire them, or even serve as a reward for a run well done to keep them hydrated on-the-go. When we say ‘a run well done’, we are referring to the effort they put in and the positive attitude they bring to the run – not on whether they’ve achieved a specific pace or distance. This applies to both everyday runs and on race day.
Similarly, praise their participation in school sports rather than focussing on winning – keeping in mind competitive sports like racing can be disheartening for children that may try their best, but finish at the back of the pack.
Many children drop out of sport not due to lack of interest, but due to negative factors like low confidence, poor body image, social isolation and bullying – particularly in the case of young female athletes. Campaigns like Made To Play which you can read about in Nike's 50th Anniversary: A Celebration Of Sport & Future Sustainability are breaking the barriers for young women in sport (aged 7 – 13 years) – to support an active lifestyle and help them develop teamwork and leadership skills for the future.
The attitude you bring to sport is powerful in shaping your child’s experience. With pressure comes anxiety and weakened self-esteem, with praise and pride (whether they win a ribbon or not) comes confidence, excitement and a willingness to try.
Buy kids’ running gear to dress them for success from the ground up
Comfortable kids are happy kids. A child can feel scarred by a negative running experience – where thirst, chafing and common running injuries like blisters and plantar fasciitis can squash their enthusiasm and keep their motivation to exercise out of their reach.
To prevent them from dragging their feet in every stride, set your child up with kids' running shoes, kids' running shorts, kids' running tanks as the weather warms up and top it off with a kids' cap for sun protection. Purchasing the right running gear can help prevent discomfort, soreness and injury. It means staying away from cotton tees that are absolutely fine for off-duty days but can weigh them down during running as they absorb sweat, rather than wicking it away from the skin for quick evaporation.
To keep your child running happy, choose trusted sportswear brands like Running Bare or Nike that use the same technology (e.g. Nike’s Dri-Fit for sweat control) in their kids’ clothing for sport as their women’s running clothing or men’s running clothing.
When shopping for sportswear online, keep an eye out for key words in the description like sweat-wicking and choose synthetic performance fabrics such as polyester that are lightweight and breathable over cotton. This is also true of kids' running socks, where all-cotton styles can encourage sweaty, blister-causing environments whereas technical running socks minimise heat, friction and irritation.
Many of Sportitude's top running sock brands like Lightfeet and Steigen are also available in kid-friendly sizing. The Lightfeet Genesis Mini Crew kids' running socks provide targeted cushioning at blister-prone areas and high ventilation to allow little feet to breathe on the run. The Steigen Quarter Length kids' running socks fight off blisters in a different way with a lightweight, ultra-thin and friction-reducing design that minimises the space between foot and shoe.
Find the best kids’ running shoes for them
As your one-stop sportswear hub for everything running related in Australia, Sportitude Running knows nothing beats the convenience of online shopping. However, the experience of trying a running shoe on in-store with the guidance, support and passion of our running shoe experts can be even more rewarding.
Knowing the top models of kids' running shoes on the market for the year like the Asics Gel Kayano 29 or Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 is a great start, but since no two feet are alike, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the right fit in terms of comfort for your little athlete. It's about finding the best kids' running shoes for them.
The cushioning and stability properties all have a role in determining what is the right shoe for your child’s feet. However, the only real way to know if the shoes will be comfortable for your budding runner is for them to try the shoes on. If you order your kids’ running shoes online, Sportitude's guide on What To Do When Your New Running Shoes Arrive and no-fuss 30 days returns and exchanges policy means you can buy online without a worry.
You can contact our running shoe experts, whether in-store, at [email protected] or through our free Live Fit 15 minute voice chat service to allow us to refine the mountains of choices (as we know how daunting it can be!) to the best 2-3 or so potential running shoes for your child’s feet to avoid a ‘choice overload’.
Having choice without being overwhelmed is really empowering for kids – and in terms of choosing their own running shoes, it helps them form a positive experience and personal attachment to them to nurture their excitement for lacing up and heading to the road, track, park or trail.
We know kids love colour. Although comfort should be first and foremost in making their running shoe selection, comfort doesn’t have to be a trade-off for fun. Most running shoe brands release kids' running shoes both in vibrant colourways and in school-ready colours (black or white) to conform to uniform policies to tick all your boxes.
For kids' that are experienced and efficient runners or are competing at a state level, our award-winning store Sportitude Running at Hindmarsh, takes finding the right fit to a whole new level with a focus on the science of comfort with our RunDNA shoe fitting service. With our state-of-the-art Woodway treadmill and running metrics data analysis, we can provide recommendations of running shoes based on your child’s running biomechanics and perceived comfort.
Teach your little athlete the ins and outs of running
Yes, running starts with the first step and is arguably the easiest sport for your child to get into in terms of the gear required – a quality pair of well-fitting kids' running shoes first and foremost. However, running is so much more than simply putting one leg in front of the other.
Although they’ll naturally run better with experience, guiding your child by encouraging proper running form and teaching them how to breathe better while running can help keep them on track – particularly at a pre-teen age where they’re able to grasp these concepts more fully. You can also introduce them to the importance of recovery – including sports nutrition, sleep quality and muscle health through stretching and kid-friendly yoga exercises.
Running doesn’t mean they have to run at full speed. Many children only have an ‘on’ or ‘off’ switch – resulting in them burning out early and hitting a wall when they put foot to pavement. Teaching them how to pace themselves allows your little athlete to enjoy longer, easy-going runs and helps build confidence in their abilities.
It’s important to be flexible when it comes to distance and pace rather than committing to a structured routine that can be physically or mentally overwhelming for children – keeping in mind their energy, endurance and concept of what’s a long or short distance will be different to yours. Be sure to save your serious training runs for when you’re running solo and treat your runs with the kids as a warm-up or recovery run.
Every child is different, so remember to cater to their age and fitness level. Whereas flat running surfaces are a safer bet to prevent a small child from fatiguing early and becoming disheartened, an older child may enjoy the challenge of uphill running and racing you downhill at a snappy pace. Even if they grumble walking at the uphill phase, the thrill of what’s on the other side may motivate them and make it well worth the effort.
Let your little athlete know that it’s OK to take a break. Support them when they take intermittent walking breaks to catch their breath and embrace this as part of the process – giving them an opportunity to rehydrate and refuel on longer runs.
Including a combination of sprints (e.g. racing your child to the mailbox), easy-going jogs, walking or hiking into their routine not only offers variety in their running journey, but allows them to train their heart and muscles in different ways – improving their cardio fitness, endurance, speed and of course, the fun factor.
Keep it fresh & make running fun!
The theme of choice is running strong through this blog because having an element of control and being encouraged to make a decision (within the safe and healthy parameters you set) builds your child’s confidence and trust. This also applies to where you’re running with your child.
As fantastic as it is to have a go-to running route from your front door and back to help cement running as a healthy habit, giving your child the choice of where you run together of ‘here or there’ (e.g. playground or local trail) can motivate them further and ward off boredom.
Trail running has many benefits with the softer, natural ground being more forgiving on the feet and joints of runners of all ages compared to hard road surfaces. It also brings an additional element of play into the running routine as your little athlete must navigate around roots and stones, spring over (or charge through) muddy terrain and rock hop over shallow creeks.
Escaping the concrete jungle doubles up on the positive benefits of running – not only is your child feeling more energised and cheerful through the act of movement, but soaking in the environment helps stimulate their senses, gaining a new and inspiring perspective and allows them to learn about the natural world around them.
Setting up a scavenger hunt or obstacle course that encourages exploration and physical activity turns running into an exciting game with friends or siblings. For younger children you can throw in a classic running game like tag, ‘What’s The Time Mr Wolf’ or ‘Red Light, Green Light’.
Don’t worry if running simply doesn’t ‘click’ with your child. Instead, give them the opportunity to try a sport of their choosing – whether it’s netball, basketball, tennis, football, cycling, rowing, ice skating, rock climbing, horse riding or martial arts. Think outside the box and don’t be afraid of trial-and-error to find an activity that inspires your child’s enthusiasm, fits their personality and interests.
Your child doesn’t have to like all sports, the same way they don’t have to like all vegetables (although the more colours of veggies they do include in their diet, the better). Give them the opportunity to try a variety of different activities to find out what works for them and to ignite their joy for movement.
Happy running!
If you liked this, you'll love:
11 Tips To Run As A Family & Motivate Your Kids To Exercise
Everything You Need To Know Before Jogging With A Running Pram
6 Essential Running Pram Tips To Improve Your Posture