Parents Kids and Exercise
Friday, June 13th, 2008
We know the benefits of fitness for us, but how often do we consider the benefits of exercise for our children? It isn’t necessary to have a formal workout routine for them (unless that fits your family structure). What’s important is that they spend less time with the Playstation and get moving. Here are some stats from the CDC. Daily participation in school physical education among adolescents dropped 14 percentage points over the last 13 years — from 42% in 1991 to 28% in 2003.
In addition, less than one-third (28%) of high school students meet currently recommended levels of physical activity. The most important lessons children learn, begin at home.In our busy hectic lives, it can be hard to work in playtime with our children. To properly grow and learn, children need to be active. We can help by playing with them. Here are some ideas and benefits:
- Encourage healthy physical activities. If they want to play a game, suggest hide and seek, tag, or anything else that will get them up and moving. Play also helps to support physical development. If a child sits in front of a T.V. all day, they’ll never develop their hand eye coordination, balance, or other physical abilities to their full potential.
- Bonding. There is nothing more important in building a child’s self-esteem and feeling of safety than bonding with a parent. If a child knows that their parent is there for them, they’ll grow up to feel more secure. You may think it’s just talking and spending time with your child, but to them it’s about feeling love and protection.
- Get Personal. Often, a child will reenact situations that he or she finds important. They may use playtime to vent emotional frustrations that they are unable to describe verbally. By paying attention to your child’s behavior during play, you can determine their concerns and frustrations. Playing with your child is beneficial to you as well. It helps you to:
- Get to know your children. Many parents of teenagers say that they know little if anything about their kids. A good way to know them is to start while they’re still young. Regular play now may actually help you worry less about them when they’re older.
- Relax. When children play, they create imaginary worlds and situations. If you are actively involved in your child’s imaginary worlds, it can help you forget the stress of the real world.
- Stay active. We all know how hard it is to stay active when there are deadlines to meet, bills to pay, and everything else to do. Play with your kids and increase your exercise.
Playing with your child shouldn‘t be a chore. It may be difficult to rearrange your schedule, but it will be worth it.
