Healthy Success for Your Child
VBparents.com visited Andy Ballard, regional director of youth services and creator of the Sports Stars Academy at the new Virginia Beach Field House. He uses four basic principles to help parents grow their 18-month to 6-year-old children physically, mentally and socially. Learn more...

Experience Nature
Get kids comfortable with nature, right in your own backyard or a nearby park. Studies show that time spent outdoors in nature has a positive impact on a child’s physical, emotional and mental development. Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation has many ways to encourage safe exploration of the natural world.  Learn more...

Stay Active on a Budget
What do bubbles, building forts, and walking the dog have in common? They are all fun, low cost/no cost ways to stay physically active as a family. Here are some free and inexpensive activities that you and your family can do indoors and outdoors.  Learn more...

Keep Kids Active: Ideas for Parents
Our children seem to be less active every year. Children have a natural love of playing hard, but without regular encouragement, they often ”just sit around." They need regular physical activity to build strong bones and muscles and to maintain a healthy weight. Here are some tips to keep your kids active. Learn more...

What is physical activity?
Physical activity includes playing actively, family fun such as hiking or swimming, and anything that gets your child moving!

Why is physical activity important?  

• It helps your child stay healthy.
• It helps your child learn good habits early in life. 
• It gives them an outlet for their natural energy.

Your preschooler loves to move!  Encourage your preschooler to play actively several times every day.  Preschoolers' activity may happen in short bursts of time and not be all at once.

Physical activity does not always have to be led by adults.

• Free play is unstructured physical activity that is chosen by the child. For example, preschoolers are engaging in free play when they play on the playground, play tag with friends, or pretend to be wild animals.
• Adult-led activities are structured to have a purpose, such as encouraging flexibility, focusing on strength, or concentrating on endurance.

Do you wonder if your child is getting enough physical activity?

Ask yourself the following questions as a general guide:

• Does your child play outside several times a day or in a room inside where they are free to run around?         
• Does your child watch less than 2 hours of TV daily (including all screen time)?         
• Do you make sure that your child doesn’t sit for more than 60 minutes at one time?    
• When actively playing is your child breathing quickly and/or sweating?           

If you answer yes to most these questions, your child is probably getting enough physical activity.