For some context, I have five nieces and nephews living with me: three boys and two girls. It’s me and my mom raising them, and we do our best to make things work. I have a decent job at a tech company, my mom has a pension, and thankfully we’re able to provide for them.
I try to keep the kids involved in as much as possible. I make sure they do homework twice a week or get extra practice in, and I even got them an IXL subscription so they can work on additional math. I taught them how to fish, put them in sports leagues, take them to the beach, games, and all that. I want them to have opportunities to learn new things, stay active, and enjoy being kids.
Overall, the boys are good kids, but they’re a little rough around the edges because of their upbringing. The oldest gets sent to the school office semi-frequently, the middle one can be difficult to get to listen at home, and the youngest (a bit on the spectrum, possibly Asperger’s, and spends part of his school day in a special education class) hit another kid at the park this week. They’re 11, 9, and 7.
Obviously, there are different ways to redirect behavior, whether that’s taking away an iPad, telling them you won’t play Roblox with them anymore, or just talking things through with them (although sometimes it feels like they’re not listening). I don’t believe in hitting kids or corporal punishment, but I do believe physical exercise can be a great positive outlet for young boys. It gets them outside, burns off energy, builds confidence, and gives them something productive to focus on.
I’ve been taking the two older boys to their elementary school on weekends for basic military-style PT: bear crawls, rolls, army crawls, laps around the track, etc. It’s been a surprisingly effective way to get them moving and give them a structured activity to work on together. I’m not trying to turn them into little soldiers; I just want them to challenge themselves physically, develop some discipline, and have something constructive to do away from screens.
Recently, I’ve been trying to incorporate the youngest into it as well because I want him to get more exercise and be included with his brothers. He’s younger, so I have him do less than the older boys. The difficulty is that, because he’s on the spectrum, he sometimes screams and cries very loudly when we do the exercises. Sometimes I’m practically begging him to just run a single lap around the track. I’m trying to figure out how to make it work for him without turning the whole thing into a struggle.
We usually go to their elementary school on weekends because it has a track and a field with some inclines where they can run laps, bear crawl, and do other basic exercises. The problem is that the youngest can get pretty loud, and I don’t want to disturb the neighbors.
Does anyone know of any relatively secluded parks, fields, or open spaces around Sterling, VA where I could take them on weekends? Somewhere with enough room to run around and do basic exercises without being right next to people’s houses would be ideal.
I’d also be interested in hearing from anyone who’s had experience getting kids on the spectrum involved in physical activities. I want all the kids to have positive outlets, and I’d like to find a way for the youngest to participate that works for him, too.
Appreciate any suggestions!
TL;DR: My five nieces and nephews live with me and my mom, and we do our best to keep them involved in school, sports, fishing, and other activities. I’ve been taking my three nephews (11, 9, and 7) to their elementary school track on weekends for basic military-style PT as a positive outlet for energy and a way to build confidence and discipline. The youngest is possibly on the spectrum and sometimes has loud meltdowns when participating. Looking for secluded outdoor spaces around Sterling, VA where we can exercise without disturbing the neighbors, plus advice on getting him involved.
