The City of Lacombe is continuing to work on the commitment to being a ChooseWell community, by recently painting some free sidewalk games for kids. 

Lacombe has been a ChooseWell community for years, and is constantly working to encourage citizens to get moving, eat well and maintain a well-rounded view of their health. 

Sonya Beauclair, Recreation and Parks Assistant for the City, said it’s important to offer fresh ideas and keep people interested in their health, but it doesn’t always have to be complicated. 

“We do little things to try and make it as simple as possible for people, and one of the new things we’re doing is to paint games on sidewalks,” she said.

“We know there are a lot of benefits for kids to have unstructured play. They get to work on their creativity, imagination, problem solving - putting these stencil games down gives them the opportunity to make up their own games and play however they want.”

The sidewalk games have been painted in various locations throughout the City, including in Willow Ridge, Hearthstone park on the west path and Cedar Close Park. 

Communities ChooseWell is an initiative managed by the Alberta Recreation and Parks Association and is supported by Alberta Health and Wellness. The initiative offers guidelines and toolkits to create programs, but individual communities are also encouraged to develop programs that work for their needs. 

One of the most successful ChooseWell initiatives developed in Lacombe is the ‘Find the Right Fit’ program, which currently has 545 people registered. 

“We know that being active can sometimes be challenging for people but when you find something you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with it,” Beauclair said. 

“The Find the Right Fit program gives people the opportunity to try different fitness groups and various mental health initiatives in Lacombe to help them improve their overall health and figure out what they enjoy doing.”

For more information on how to get involved in ChooseWell challenges in Lacombe, head to lacombe.ca.