Tally Elementary celebrated the school’s fourth annual Family Fitness Night, where students and their loved ones indulged in an evening of outdoor activities, sports and healthy living.
Created by P.E. coach Sally Smithson, the afterschool event encourages families to get active and learn about fitness as a unit.
“The whole reason I started it was to bring Tally families and students together to show them how easy and fun it can be to get outdoors, play together and be physically active,” said Smithson.
The evening showcased a variety of diverse activities revolving around living a healthy, active lifestyle.
“Sometimes when people think of being active, they think of sports. Not all of our kids love sports, so I try to bring in different people in the community by being active in their own unique ways,” said Smithson.
From line dancing and Zumba to martial arts and exercise challenges, Tally students and families had access to many different local fitness professionals.
The Woodlands Jiu Jitsu brought coaches to guide students through training punches and the Kroc Center’s Cristalene Block led Zumba classes for the whole family.
“Kerrville is a tight-knit town with a strong community presence. So we’re trying to show kids what is available to them in our small community. We’ve got Kerrville Parks and Rec., the Kroc Center, we’ve got Cub Scouts, and we’ve even got a swim team here,” said Smithson.
Smithson emphasizes that getting active as a family is crucial in today’s era.
“Let’s be honest, for a lot of kids it’s a generation of iPads, TVs and video games,” said Smithson. “So if we can encourage a child to ask their parents to go on a walk or go outside and jump rope, then hopefully that desire to be active will spread and grow to the entire family.”
Beyond exercise education alone, the Tally Family Fitness Night also included healthy eating stations as well as quick health assessments performed by Schreiner University nursing students.
“One of our stations is trying to encourage students to try a variety of fruits and vegetables, educating them about the nutrition side of health as well,” said Smithson.
Students and their families rotated through stations, learning how fun and easy it can be to implement fitness into daily life.
