YMCA's Healthy Kids Day Aims to Get Families Moving Through Play

Press Release

Contact: Lisa Talley
(423) 265- 8834
ltalley@ymcachattanooga.org

It’s a Play Date: YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day™ Aims to Get Families Moving Through Play

Chattanooga, TN (March 23, 22) – On Saturday, April 16, the YMCA of Metropolitan
Chattanooga is encouraging all kids and parents in Chattanooga and surrounding areas to come to the Y for a play date and commit to being active every day. It is all part of the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day™ – the nation’s largest health day for families.

The free event will be at local YMCAs from 9 a.m. to noon and will feature games, arts and
crafts, healthy treats, educational resources and demonstrations. Participating YMCAs include the Cleveland, Downtown, Hamilton, North Georgia, North River and Rhea Family YMCAs.

As a leading nonprofit strengthening community through healthy living, the Y hosts Healthy
Kids Day to teach healthy habits to kids and inspire a lifetime love of physical activity. At a
time when one in three children in the United States are overweight or obese (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), developing healthier habits that include increased physical activity is more important than ever.

“At the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga, we know that parents struggle to find the time to
incorporate more active play and healthier habits into their kids’ daily routine,” said Randy
Brown, president and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga. “Doing so doesn’t have to require extra money or resources. It’s as simple as making a play date with your kids, with two key requirements – be active and have fun.”

As part of Healthy Kids Day, the Y encourages families to make play dates everyday as a simple way to become healthier, more active and connected. The YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga recommends five simple activities families can do to play together:

1. Schedule a Game Night: Play games with the kids that incorporate physical activity, such as Charades.

2. Dance, Dance: Turn on your favorite party music and dance! Make this activity more fun with a dance contest.

3. Go Riding: Find a new bike path or park for a fun afternoon outdoors; grab your helmets and go rollerblading or bike riding.

4. Channel Your Inner Youth: Remember playing hopscotch, jump rope, Simon Says or freeze tag as a kid? Teach your favorite childhood game to your kid(s) and play them
together.

5. Play Outside: Visit your neighborhood park or camp out in your backyard for some
outdoor fun. Get everyone moving with fun sports like soccer, basketball or baseball.

Healthy Kids Day will be celebrated at nearly 1,600 Ys across the country, with more than
700,000 families expected to attend this year.

Locally, Healthy Kids Day is supported by Memorial Hospital, Chattanooga Coca-Cola Bottling Company, WRCB-TV, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, Comcast, Sunny 92.3 and 96.5 The Mountain.

For more information, contact the YMCA in your neighborhood or visit

www.ymcachattanooga.org.


###