
Health/Families On the Move
Active Children ... Active Families
Sep/Oct 2007
There is no question that physical activity is good for children.
Just consider the evidence. Physical activity strengthens muscles,
bones and joints. It gives children the opportunity to gain self-esteem,
confidence and a sense of well-being. In addition to making children
healthier, positive activities also offer children fun alternatives
to risky behavior such as drug and alcohol use.
Challenge:
A lack of physical activity
Solution:
Make physical activity fun, cool and part of a daily routine
Be a physically active role model.
- Children should be encouraged to participate in 60 minutes
of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day.
- Find fun, physically active ways to celebrate special
occasions, such as swimming or roller-skating birthday parties.
- Add physical activity to weekend or vacation plans, such
as hiking, biking or long walks.
- Make sure you and your child walk at every available opportunity.
- Take time to have physically active fun with your children,
such as dancing to your favorite music.
Challenge:
Need for increased family and group activity
Prosocial activity can result in a wealth of positive behaviors
for children, such as social connections, positive family relationships
and school achievement.
Solution:
Find opportunities for children within the local community
- It’s good for children to be actively involved with
formal organizations, such as schools, faith-based organizations
and community youth groups, where they can experience positive
interaction with other children and adults.
- As a start, children should consider committing to at least
one civic engagement – whether it’s volunteering
to plant trees in the park or helping out at the local pet shelter.
Challenge:
Children are glued to the TV
The average child spends up to six hours watching television, playing
video games and surfing the Internet each day.
Solution:
Offer interesting, educational alternatives
- Start by allowing your children to watch only one to two
hours of quality TV per day.
- Remove TV sets from children’s bedrooms and encourage
them to spend time with different types of media, such as reading
books or dancing to music.
- Try making TV commercials a time to do physical activity,
whether it’s marching in place or doing stretches on the
family room floor.
Challenge:
The neighborhood or school
lacks resources
Some neighborhoods lack playgrounds, courts, parks, bike paths
or are just unsafe for children.
Solution:
Become an advocate
- Write letters to school administrators and board members
to support daily physical education.
- Make sure that your children are provided with at least
20 minutes of recess during each school day.
- Contact park
district officials and ask for more opportunities for children
to get active.
- Encourage local officials to install park equipment,
bike paths or other resources for physical activity.
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