Healthy Kids Day
Awaken
Summer Imagination
Healthy Kids Day® is the Y’s annual, nationwide initiative designed to inspire all youth, parents, and caregivers—regardless of membership status—to get active and make healthy choices over the summer and beyond.
The YMCA of Greater Kansas City is hosting the Y’s annual Healthy Kids Day® on Saturday, April 20, 2024, encouraging families to take a moment to help kids be kids and set them up for a summer of success. The event will feature activities such as games, demonstrations, arts and crafts and more to motivate and teach families how to develop and maintain healthy routines.
Celebrating its 32nd anniversary in 2024, Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families. The Y hopes to use the day to get more kids moving and learning, creating healthy habits they can continue while they’re away from the classroom. 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 during the school year. With all that’s going on in the world right now, Healthy Kids Day is a reminder to families that we can help ensure all children have access to what they need to reach their full potential, even during out-of-school time.
Find an Event
The YMCA of Greater Kansas City's Healthy Kids Day takes place at Y centers across the metro in 2024.
Cleaver:
On April 20 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. the Cleaver Family YMCA will hold activities inside and outside at Holmes Park and Winnwood Skate Center. Activities include Level Up vision screening, Smiles and Kutz free haircuts, a bounce house, Y Sports soccer and flag football, family friendly exercise classes, fire department meet and greet, KC Public Library youth outreach vehicle, Hyvee Kids Fit health trailer, Animal Movements, yard games, Bike Walk KC, Children's Place, snacks from Cafe Reflections and more!
Kirk:
On April 20 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. the Kirk Family YMCA will feature activities including family games, dance cardio for kids, a gun safety class with free gun locks courtesy of Be Smart for Kids, library books available for checkout from the KC Public Library, a healthy snack station, aquatics safety lessons, volunteering to put snack packs together for Ronald McDonald House and seed planting for Earth Day.
Linwood:
On April 20 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. the Linwood YMCA/James B. Nutter Sr. Community Center will feature activities including a dance performance by Mystic Stormz, healthy snacks, games and more!
North Kansas City:
On Tuesday, April 30, from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. the North Kansas City YMCA will host activities at Macken Park including raffles, prizes, games, food and more in partnership with Mattie Rhodes, Clay County Public Health and NKC Parks and Recreation.
Olathe:
On April 20 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. the Olathe Family YMCA will have participants work their way through several stations with activities including crafting, an obstacle course, healthy snacks and family fun fitness classes. Kids will be provided a passport to health where they can mark off each station as they go through.
Platte County:
During the weeks of April 8-12 (Y Week), April 15-19 (Health and Safety) and April 22-26 (Education and Learning) from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Platte County Community Center South will host weekly themed activities. During Y Week there will be camp and before and after school activities, swim lessons, Challenger sports, and martial arts in partnership with Born to Move. During Health and Safety week there will be dental care, eye care, mental health care and Be Smart for Kids gun safety alongside activities from Modern PT, the police department and the fire department. Check out Platte County North and South's Facebook pages each week for a calendar of events!
Providence:
On April 20 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. the Providence YMCA/Ball Family Center invites the community to engage in activities for kids including story time, an open Kids Zone, kid friendly fitness classes, family swim lessons, group ex classes and Healthy Kids Day themed tours from the membership team throughout the day.
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 of fruits and veggies each day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend for 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, and learning.
For more information from Y-USA, visit ymca.org/hkd.