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Kids need a break from football during the offseason. But that doesn’t mean they need a break from being active.

Active kids tend to be healthier kids. Their bodies are in better shape physically and their minds stay sharper mentally than their inactive peers.

So as parents, it’s important for us to make sure the time our kids once spent at practices or games is filled with activities that keep them active. That doesn’t mean using their minds and strengthening their fine motor skills by playing video games.

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Kids can stay active by tossing a football, shooting hoops, or playing any type of game — kickball, capture the flag, flashlight tag — that they enjoy. But the key word is “enjoy.” Why? Because if it’s fun for them and they genuinely enjoy taking part in it, they’re likely to do it again.

I’m the first dad to hope the time my child spends during the offseason is spent outside honing the skills he uses to successfully compete during the season. But when he arrives home tired from swimming at the local pool all afternoon or comes inside drenched in sweat after a rigorous game of capture the flag, I’m just glad he’s outside and moving.

The first step to encourage kids to be active is to limit the amount of time they spend watching TV, playing video games, or using any other electronic devices. All of them promote inactivity, and the longer kids are using them, the lazier they tend to get. This is especially true on hot summer days.

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The second step is to make suggestions on ways they can be active. These can be sport-specific suggestions — “Let’s go toss the football around” — or any activities that promote movement. They can be individual activities, they can involve friends, or they can be family adventures.

A third step could be sitting down as a family and making a list of activities you want to do before summer ends and set a goal to check them all off before the first day of school. Remember, you don’t have to work up a sweat for it to count. Playing miniature golf or taking a hike at the local park is still being more active than sitting on the deck.

One of my favorite “stay active” family activities is riding bikes. Not only is it great exercise for all of us, but I’m always amazed at the conversations we have during our casual ride around the neighborhood. I learn things about my kids’ lives I know I wouldn’t hear about during commercials.

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The great thing about most kids who play youth sports is that they want to be active. As parents, we just have to be sure to not enable them to be lazy. Limit the time they spend on electronics, and if you have to, force your kids to go outside. Our generation of parents always says, “Today’s kids don’t know how to create and play their own games.” I’ve found they figure it out if their parents force them to do so.

Active kids are happy and healthy kids, and happy and healthy kids make for happy parents.

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years, originally as a coach and board member with his now-adult son and most recently "just as a dad" with his 8- and 10-year-old sons. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.