On Saturday, April 30, the Valley Shore YMCA is holding a free community event to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active. This year marks the 25th annual YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y’s national initiative to improve health and wellbeing for kids and families. The day-long event features activities such as family fitness classes, pony rides, bounce houses, face painting, games, and fitness challenges to motivate and teach families how to develop healthy routines at home.

YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day works to get more kids moving and learning, creating habits that they continue all summer long, which is a critical time for kids’ health. 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 physical and learning activities, kids fall behind academically. Kids also gain weight twice as fast during summer than the school year. As spring turns to summer, Healthy Kids Day is a powerful reminder not to let children idle away their summer days.

“The Y believes in the potential of all children, and we strive to help kids find the Wow! factor inside themselves. A child’s development is never on vacation and Healthy Kids Day is a great opportunity to educate families and motivate kids to stay active in spirit, mind and body throughout the summer,” said Valley Shore YMCA Senior Director Patrick Connelly.

In celebration of YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y offers the following tips to help families develop healthy habits:

High Five the Fruits and Veggies: Make sure kids get at least five servings a day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend to maintain 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.

Foster an Early and Ongoing Passion for Books: Read to and with your kids. Help children read at every age and every stage of their development.

Team Up for Athletic Events: Set a family goal of great health by teaming up for community or charity events like races, walks, fun runs, bike rides, etc.

Volunteer Together: Find a cause that matters to the kids. Open their eyes to a world beyond themselves and the rich rewards that come from making a difference.

Make sleep a priority: Doctors recommend 10- to 12 hours of sleep a day for children aged 5 to 12 and 7- to 8 hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, learning and other vital functions.

The Valley Shore YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day takes place at 201 Spencer Plains Road in Westbrook from 1 to 4 p.m. and features fun, active play and educational activities. YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day is supported by Essex Savings Bank and Essex Financial Services.

For more information, contact Valley Shore YMCA at 860-399-9622 or visit vsymca.org.