Mystic Valley YMCA Kicks Off Summer Early with Annual Healthy Kids Day

Event features free, family-friendly activities to celebrate kids being kids

MALDEN — The Mystic Valley YMCA is hosting the Y’s annual Healthy Kids Day® on Saturday, April 23rd from 11am to 1pm at its Malden YMCA facility – enter through 99 Dartmouth Street or 125 Mountain Avenue in Malden. This event is sponsored nationally by Howard Johnson® by Wyndham, and locally by Cataldo Ambulance Service, The Greater Boston Food Bank, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Magnolia Dental, Three Circles Studio, Wegmans, and Smileland Pediatric Dentistry. Healthy Kids Day is FREE and open to the public and will feature activities such as bounce houses, games, open swim, Family Zumba, YMCA program sign-up, community resources and giveaways, arts and crafts, music-making, and more! This year, we will have a COVID vaccine clinic on site providing free first, second, and booster doses for eligible individuals who would like to get vaccinated.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2022, Healthy Kids Day is the Y’s national initiative to improve health and well-being for kids and families. “At the Y, we believe in the potential of all children and each day we work to help kids find that potential within themselves,” said Debbie Amaral, President & CEO of the Mystic Valley YMCA. “Healthy Kids Day is a fun, free community-wide event to kick off summer and remind us all how important it is for kids to stay active physically and mentally throughout the summer.”

In celebration of YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, the Y offers the following:

* High Five the Fruits and Veggies – Make sure kids get at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day, the minimum number nutritionists recommend for healthy childhood development. And to keep kids’ taste buds evolving, have everyone in the family try at least one bite of a new fruit or vegetable at least once a month. If your family is in need of food resources, learn more about the Mystic Valley YMCA’s free food markets in Everett, Malden, and Medford here: Food Security (mv-ymca.org).

* Read Together – The summer is a great time to enjoy books with summer program participants—and 30 minutes a day goes a long way! Take trips to the local library or create a family reading challenge to see who can log the most minutes of reading. Encourage youth to create their own stories as well.

* Get Moving! – Activities that require movement also help kids flex their mental muscle. Use materials in unique ways: ask youth to build models, manipulate tools or develop their own theatrical scenes.

* Play Together – Play may be the best way to prevent childhood obesity. By putting more play into your family’s day, you will soon find yourself getting the activity that will have your family feeling energized and strong.

* Make sleep a priority – Doctors recommend 10-12 hours of sleep a day for children ages 5-12 and 7-8 hours per night for adults. Sleep plays a critical role in maintaining our healthy immune system, metabolism, mood, memory, and learning.

Mystic Valley YMCA Healthy Kids Day Vendors as of April 13th include:

* YMCA’s School Age Childcare, Summer Camp, Food Markets, Hiring and Volunteer Opportunities, Membership, Early Learning Center, and Medford Youth Center.

* ABCD Mystic Valley Opportunity Center

* Cambridge Health Alliance

* Cataldo Ambulance

* East Cambridge Savings Bank

* Foster Care/Department of Children and Families

* Geico

* The Greater Boston Food Bank

* Joint Committee for Children’s Health Care in Everett

* Magnolia Dental

* Malden Fire Department

* Malden Lions Eye Mobile Screenings

* Malden ParentChild+

* Malden Reads

* Mayor’s Youth Employment Program/Malden Career Connections

* National Grid

* Project Bread

* RESPOND, Inc.

* Smileland Pediatric Dentistry and Braces

* Wegmans

  For more information, visit https://bit.ly/YMCAHKD22 and follow the Mystic Valley YMCA on social Media. Facebook: @MysticValleyYMCA  Instagram: @Mystic.Valley.YMCA