How do you motivate a kid to get out of bed?

Ben McKee

6 months ago

AURORA - It's a question that's eluded parents for generations. Even an alarm clock isn't guaranteed to do the trick.

How exactly do you get your kids to get out of bed and get ready for school?

Now, couple that question with the next great question parents have struggled with for years: how do I get my kid to get out of the house and exercising?

Parents at Fox Hollow Elementary in Aurora believe they've found a hero in their children's physical education teacher, Luke Reynolds, who's known as Mr. Reynolds to the Cherry Creek School District students.

"I think the most rewarding thing about this is when you see parents who gets their kids to get out of bed in the morning," Reynolds said. "A lot of parents have told me it's hard to say no to their six or seven year old who is begging to get out of bed."

Reynolds can't claim all the credit for the technique he uses to motivate dozens of kids to get out of the house at 7 a.m. a few times a week. But he can claim he's organized an incredibly successful club built on nothing more than a student's own two feet.

The club that draws so many children to Fox Hollow on Tuesdays and Thursdays doesn't have a fancy title. Reynolds just calls it "The Running Club."

"For every lap, a kid gets a mark," Reynolds said, "and for every four marks, those kids get a medallion to put around a chain, which they earn with their first mile."

The club began with an idea by the school district as a way of motivating students to participate in the First American State Bank Fitness Festival on Sept. 12. The first meeting attracted about 50 kids and their parents.

As the attractive necklaces and medallions started making their way around the school, the modest club grew to become an enormous morning destination. More than 400 students have taken part in the running club and ran at least one mile in the program's first month.

"The kids started seeing these medallions around the hallway, that's how it got so contagious," Reynolds said.

Parents submitted the story to 9NEWS as a "Hero Tip," explaining why Reynolds' program was worthy of recognition.

"The fact that Mr. Reynolds is willing to commit his personal time to an extra activity for the kids speaks volumes to his character and his belief that there is no such thing as too young to live a healthy lifestyle," said Regina Smith, a parent of one of the running club students. "His ability to inspire so many students and families to turn out is a shining example of the power that a teacher can have to get people excited and involved."

"He doesn't care how many people are there and how fast they may or may not move. All that matters to him is that people are there, willing to work and enjoying exercise," Smith said.