Make Your Gym Family-Friendly This Summer

The seasons are changing, vacation rentals are getting booked and kids are getting anxious to hear the final bell of the school year ring.

Summer is just around the corner.

Typically, this means seasonality change for your gym… where are all the members? On vacation with the family, shuttling the kids around to swim practice, escaping the indoors for the great outdoors. Personally, summer is my favorite season. People seem happier, BBQ’s are a regular thing, longer days and more time spent outdoors.

You don’t have to let summer be a downfall for your business. Use it to your advantage! There is no better time of the year to implement some family-friendly activities and kid-specific programs. It’s a great opportunity to provide families a way to spend time together, build more of a community atmosphere at your gym and educate kids on the importance of being active. Plus, if it’s successful, you could implement some of the same programs to go along with the school year when Fall, Winter and Spring breaks come around.

Here are a few ideas to round up your members and get the entire family involved in fitness:

Vacation Workout Contests

Our Customer Advocate Team Lead, Kelsey Sprowell, getting active on a vacation in Crested Butte, CO

Don’t let your members slack just because they are going on vacation. Sure – take some time off from thegym, but help keep them focused on staying active, even while vacationing in the Caribbean. Try coming up with a vacation scavenger hunt, with all answers documented as pictures to submit for the contest. Some ideas for this include: climbing a peak to get a view of the ocean, taking a lesson in a new activity they have never tried before, running and tracking x amount of miles, going for a bike ride or taking an outdoor yoga class. Winner gets a prize.

Family Challenges

With kids out of school, it’s safe to assume there is going to be a lot more family time happening over the summer. Get all family members involved by creating a gym-wide challenge for families. Which family can go on the most hikes this summer? Which family can gain the most amount of combined mileage on their running shoes? Which family can cut out the most sugar, give up soda or processed foods? Give each family a way to track their results and offer a prize at the end of the summer for whoever wins!

Summer Camps/Kids Classes

Do you have staff members who are exceptionally great with kids? Implement some kids-only classes for the summer: if affiliated, CrossFit® kid’s classes, sports skills, yoga or self-defense classes, to name a few. What about that extra space in the gym? Think about transforming your basketball/racquetball courts into a giant obstacle course! Lead by example and show kids that working out can be fun, and that being active is a lifestyle, not a chore. Have a nutritionist on site? Think about combining education with exercise through team relay races. The catch is, your team has to answer a nutrition question before they can move onto the next round or event! The best part about working with kids is that their imaginations run wild, so grab some hula-hoops and foam balls to create a game of lava dodge ball… or something like that. Hula-hoops can act as safe zones from the “hot lava,” but dodging balls within a given space helps work on agility and balance, and puts a new spin on your average dodge ball game.

Community Events:

Try hosting a weekend BBQ and kickball game for your members. Give your members a chance to get to know each other outside of the gym equipment, enjoy the sunshine and stay active with an all-levels game of kickball (or any other team sport, really!).

There are a number of ways to keep your members coming back during the busy summer months. Do you have any strategies you’ve implemented at your gym? Share them in the comments section below!

It costs far more to acquire a new member than it does to retain a current one. If you’re looking for additional ways to keep your members loyal, get your copy of our free guide, 7 Essential Strategies for Member Retention.