Charlie Barringer remembers when he was 5 or so, playing baseball in the back yard with his dad. It was special moments like those that kept the Bothell boy active and kickstarted his athletic career.

Today, the 14-year-old is a star runner for Canyon Park Junior High and competed at the USA Track and Field National Youth Cross Country Championships last December on the 2.5-mile Veterans Park course in Hoover, Ala.

Barringer is no longer a baseball guy, but he’s a “pretty busy athlete,” he says about playing basketball almost year round and running cross country and track.

“I go for a run somedays or go out and play with the kids in the neighborhood — we play freeze tag, kick the can or basketball,” he added. “We’re pretty lucky we live in a neighborhood where there’s a lot of kids our age to play with a lot.”

Playing will be the name of the game this Saturday at the Northshore YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day, which will be celebrated at nearly 1,600 YMCAs across the country, with more than 700,000 families expected to attend this year.

Committing to being active every day is all part of Healthy Kids Day — the nation’s largest health day for families. The free event will take place locally from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 11811 N.E. 195th St., Bothell, and will feature activities such as interactive Zumba, fencing, cooking demonstrations, crafts and more.

Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb and Evening Magazine’s Kim Holcomb are scheduled to attend, as well as 12-year-old basketball prodigy Jordan McCabe and the Pacific Northwest Drumline. The first 300 kids will receive free T-shirts from sponsor Precor.

Tammy Weenink, Northshore YMCA’s marketing and communications director, said it’s also key “what you have for dinner — take care of yourself, always keep them active from day to day and hope they follow that,” she said of raising her kids, Alex, 18, and Hannah, 16, who are now Bothell High students.

Weenink’s children were always active in sports and the family were fans of bike riding, camping and hiking.

“We always had a garden, and my son would go out there and have his lunch. He was really big into his vegetables and fruit, and he’s continued that as he’s grown into a teen,” Tammy said of Alex, who also works at the Y; she added that Hannah follows in her brother’s healthy eating footsteps.

Growing up in Joyce (near Port Angeles), Tammy said it was “kind of a natural thing” to spend most of her time outside in the countryside.

She added that Healthy Kids Day is always “busy, busy, busy, from kickboxing to archery.”

As a leading nonprofit strengthening community through healthy living, the Y holds Healthy Kids Day to teach healthy habits to kids and inspire a lifetime love of physical activity, Y officials said in a press release.

“At the Northshore YMCA, we know that parents struggle to find the time to incorporate more active play and healthier habits into their kids’ daily routine,” says Mychal-Lynne Pfiester, Family & Community Programs director, Northshore YMCA. “Doing so doesn’t have to require extra money or resources. It’s as simple as making a play date with your kids, with two key requirements — be active and have fun.”

Inglemoor High junior Taylor Peacocke, 17, said she “tries to get to the Y almost every day, shoot some hoops, play four-on-four, lift some weights.”

The Viking basketball and fastpitch softball player started with gymnastics when she was 5, she laughs, since that’s such a world away from the sports she concentrates on these days. Next up hoops-wise will be a trip to North Carolina for a prestigious Nike tournament with her Amateur Athletic Union elite team, Tree of Hope.

Peacocke enjoys the fast pace of basketball and gets a boost of energy from eating right.

“I love fruits, I love vegetables … I drink a lot of water. You feel a lot better when you have your water, you feel way hydrated and have more energy,” she said, adding that her typical lunch includes a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, apple slices, water, Goldfish cracker snacks and string cheese because it’s high in protein. She also recommends fat-free milk — and strays away from soda, which she said is bad for you.

Bothell “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” actor Karan Brar, 12, also finds time to stay active when he’s at home. His friends got him into sports like soccer, and now he can’t get enough of playing outside.

“It’s very important because you can’t just stay inside your house and play video games,” Brar said. “For somebody, if they wanna feel the difference, play video games for a week straight and I want you to go outside on a sunny day, have fun and jog or play games — it’s really fun and you feel alive. You feel way more healthy than you usually do staying inside and eating junk food.”

For information on Healthy Kids Day, contact the Northshore YMCA at (425) 485-9797.