Take a Walk With Your Child

Of all your exercise options, going for a walk is probably the cheapest, easiest, and most ripe for enrichment experiences. Work a stroll around the neighborhood into your summer routine, maybe before lunch or after dinner, to get your child out of the house and the both of you moving. While walking, play a game of I Spy, spotting colors or shapes or categories of objects. Put a piece of tape around your child's wrist, sticky-side out, and have her make a bracelet of twigs and leaves picked up along the way. Make up a nature scavenger-hunt list and have your child fill a grocery bag with the things he finds. Or just have a good, comfortable conversation as you amble. You'll get more than just a few burned calories out of the deal.

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