Get Kids Active with Boulder's New Kid-Friendly Map

Guest blog provided by Mara Mintzer, Growing Up Boulder’s program director and international expert on child-friendly cities.

“Mom, I’m bored!”

How often do you hear this phrase at home? And how often does your child turn to electronics to soothe that boredom? As parents, grandparents, caregivers and educators, we know it’s healthier to get our children moving than to sit in front of a T.V., but we don’t always know how or where to do this. We are pleased to share one tool, co-sponsored by Boulder Community Health, which will inspire you and your children to put down the electronics and get more active: Boulder’s first-ever bilingual, child-friendly city map.

Growing Up Boulder, Boulder’s child-friendly city initiative based out of the University of Colorado’s Community Engagement Design and Research (CEDaR) Center, co-created this amazing map with the help of more than 700 local children and families. The child-friendly city map highlights inexpensive or free locations for children and families to play around Boulder. Whether you’re looking for an easy, family-friendly hike or the closest park to kick a ball around, the map features loads of kid-recommended locations for active family fun.

Interested families can pick up a printed copy of the map at one of Boulder Community Health’s clinics, or find the digital version here. The digital map includes family-friendly bike rides and walking adventures that even the most reluctant children will enjoy. If you have teenagers, they will enjoy the teen-friendly city digital map, a different map created by and for teens. Both maps show easy bus routes to help get you out of your car and into a more active and relaxing form of transportation, as studies show that taking public transit gives you more exercise than driving and is less stressful.

So, the next time your child says they’re bored, grab a child-friendly city map and bike, bus or walk to a newly-discovered child-friendly place.