How to put the fun into fun run with your kids
Taking your young children on Round the Bays this year?
Claire Turnbull is a registered nutritionist and founder of Mission Nutrition, and has a diploma in positive psychology. She’s also a mum of two, and regularly takes her sons to family events like Round the Bays.
Every now and again she thinks to herself, why. Why did I do this? The children get overwhelmed or hungry, and suddenly the whole thing is a nightmare.
But like any big event, you can avoid the nightmare with a bit of preparation. Here are Claire’s top tips for making this year’s fun run actually fun – like it’s meant to be.
1. Explain the whole day to your kids. Start with how you’ll get to the event, when you’ll be putting on layers of sunblock, and go through the process of taking an organised bus to the starting line before beginning the race.
Tell them how many people are likely to be there and, if you can, show them a map of the route and photos of previous events. Really paint a picture of how March 3 is going to look, even down to what you’ll do together after the race and when you might get home.
2. Pack the night before, and pack well. A wide-brimmed hat, plasters, spare socks, snacks and water. And ideally, two water bottles prepared the night before, Claire says. One for the fridge and the other for the freezer, which will thaw and be nice and cold by the end of the event.
3. Make your kids missing-proof. Give them the brightest colours possible to wear, or even a hi-vis vest. Write your phone number on their clothes or on their arm, so that if they do get separated from you a responsible adult with a phone can find you easily.
4. Bring friends! Children may enjoy the day more if they have peers and mates to do it with. Alone or with their siblings they may be more likely to wonder ‘are we there yet’ more often than you’d like, Claire says.
5. Do at least one training walk the same length of 8.4km. Not all kids will need the physical training to be prepared to be out for the morning, but knowing how long 8.4km feels can help them get mentally ready for a new experience – particularly with strangers, music and festivities around.
Ultimately Round the Bays is the perfect family event, Claire says, and there will be help around you.
“Being a parent is not an easy job and taking children to an event requires some forward thinking, but that's part of the fun, right? You just all muck in together, people will help.”