MERIDEN — More than 200 people turned out Saturday for the Meriden YMCA’s 13th annual Healthy Kids Day event for family fun and exercise.
There was no shortage of activities for children and their parents to join. Outside, children made their way around a traffic cone racetrack on tricycles and played on an inflatable slide. The center was even busier inside, as many studios were used for combined parent-and-child classes such as Zumba, yoga and karate.
“It’s the YMCA’s initiative to bring the community together to promote health activities and healthy eating,” said Carrie Marquardt, the Meriden YMCA’s health and wellness director.
The national YMCA Healthy Kids Day fell on April 28, but the Meriden YMCA decided to postpone its event for a week to accommodate the Daffodil Festival, said Joan Goodman, director of membership and marketing at the Meriden YMCA.
One of the YMCA’s studio rooms filled up quickly with participants in parent-and-child Zumba. Jacqueline and Thomas Ryan of Meriden came to see their grandchildren; Sydney and Camryn Bronk-Zdunowski participate in the daylong events.
“We’ve been here since 8:30 (a.m.),” Jacqueline Ryan said. “They are having a blast.”
The daylong events are designed to give families time together while also getting exercise.
“Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated,” Goodman said. “You just have to get out and move.”
The American Psychological Association also gave a presentation on how to help children manage stress and live healthy lives.
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