19 August 2008

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Family fit club

How to have fun while taking some exercise with the kids in London

Trying to fit work, family, home, leisure and exercise into your life can feel like a challenge. Why not include the kids and all exercise together. If you can instil a love of sport or exercise in your children from a young age, the chances are that they will maintain this lifestyle into adulthood and you can all have lots of fun in the meantime.

Click here for general information and ideas about various sporting activities in London.

How about rollerblading? Many London parks have designated skate tracks. The only drag is that the children will probably be better than you in no time but this is great exercise and is free! London Skaters will give you lots of information about both rollerblading and ice skating. You can start off by having a lesson and then either skate with a group or head off on your own. For example, Easy Peasy Skate run lessons for £5 in Battersea Park and hold group "skates" on Saturdays.

Bike riding - again, London's parks tend to have smooth, flat tracks which are perfect for learner bike riders. Invest in a bike seat for your baby or toddler or a trailer or tag-along for bigger kids. Remember the helmets though! Click here for lots of useful tips and information about cycling with (or without) kids in London.

Swimming - take turns to do some serious lengths whilst one of you minds the kids. We can't find a comprehensive web site for a complete listing of London pools so look in your local phone book or yellow pages or do a local area internet search. Find out about fun sessions where there may be floats and toys in the pool.

Join your local tennis club. Click here for a list of tennis clubs in London that you may wish to join - but remember that many parks have public courts which you can book for a very reasonable price or may even be free. Click here for a nationwide listing of available courts where you can play for free.

Finally, there is nothing quite as exerting as digging so how about starting an allotment? Children love growing things and you could make the allotment visit a weekly event. Many boroughs have a waiting list but it's worth a try. Click here for ideas about where you might find an allotment, or call your local council office for details.

We'd love to hear about your ideas for getting fit as a family - email us at WhatsOn4Kids.com

If you run events for kids in the Greater London area:

If your organisation runs events for kids in London, we'll list them on our exclusive online family calendars - absolutely free! Just click here to start promoting your events now on London's best new family resource.