Keeping Kids Active: Ideas For Parents

Our children seem to be less active every year. While kids have a natural love of playing hard, without regular encouragement, they often ”just sit around." These days, instead of biking to the playground or playing kickball in the backyard with their friends, they spend more time watching TV, playing video games or on the computer. As a result, the rate of childhood obesity in our country has tripled in the last 20 years along with a dramatic increase in Type 2 diabetes.

Kids need regular physical activity to build strong bones and muscles and to maintain a healthy weight. Physical activity also helps children sleep well at night and stay alert during the day. These habits, if started and kept up in through childhood, can help teenagers maintain a healthy weight during years when hormonal changes, rapid growth and social influences can often lead to overeating. A healthy, fit teenager is more likely to be a healthy, fit adult. Here are some tips to keep your kids active:

Make it a family affair

If you want an active child, be active yourself. You are a role model for your child. If your kids see you being physically active and having fun, they are more likely to be active and hopefully stay active throughout their life. Find activities the whole family can do together, such as:

• Try swimming, go on a nature hike, bicycle around the neighborhood or go canoeing in a local waterway.
• Plan your family vacation around an activity.
• Walk the dog.
• Visit a batting cage or go bowling. (They also count.)

Make it fun

• Play games like tag, hide and seek, hopscotch, Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light.
• Move like an animal -- run like a gorilla, walk like a spider, hop like a bunny, soar like an eagle, etc. Toddlers and preschool children particularly enjoy this.
• Teach your children the dances you did while growing up.
• Have each family member take turns choosing an activity for a specific day of the week.

Remember, by encouraging your child to be physically active from an early age, you are setting the foundation for his or her good fitness habits in the years to come. For more information about physical activity for children, contact one of the city’s recreation centers.