With so much focus being turned onto childhood obesity recently, you’re not the first parent, grandparent, or nanny taking a second look at the habits of the little ones’ in your care. The best place to start is with a review of how much physical activity and screen time they’re getting each day. And at least one hour of exercise and no more than two hours in front of the TV should be your aim. If you’re stuck for ideas to get kids turned on to a more active lifestyle, check out my top tips below:
Encourage active pursuits
When buying presents for your kids, go for toys, games, equipment and vouchers that encourage them to be physically active. The next time you’re planning a family break or summer holiday, think of ways to turn a relaxing time into an active or adventure time: Why not try camping, a National Park bushwalk, a skiing trip or surf lessons at a favourite beach? And at your next family picnic, organise some structured games for everyone—kids love time trials, sack races, three-legged races, and spoon and egg races around the playground.
Walk and talk
Walking is a great way to get the whole family started on increasing their physical activity. Walk and talk with your family and you’ll reduce stress, improve sleep and posture, and get a helping hand at managing a healthy body weight. Fun runs, bike-a-thons and walks for charity groups are a great way of fostering a sense of community spirit and responsibility while helping you get your family up and at it outdoors.
Take it indoors
It’s easy to hibernate during rainy days and give up on exercise, but there are plenty of active kid-friendly pursuits you can do inside, including dancing, hula hoops, skipping rope, mini tramps, swimming centres and table tennis.
Be a “go” coach
Find time to get involved in your child’s sport or after school activities. You can volunteer to help coach, set up equipment or simply take your turn in the car pool shuffle. The highly stressful, competitive, “win at all costs” attitude prevalent with professional athletes also affects the world of children’s sport, so try to promote a “winning isn’t everything” attitude, help your child handle disappointments and reinforce the positive benefits of having a go. You can also encourage your children to investigate the healthy lifestyle habits of their sporting heroes. They might like to start a scrapbook with articles on their heroes’ training regimes, what they eat for breakfast and how they mentally prepare for a big event.
This text is adapted from the latest book by Karen Inge, Let’s Eat Right for Kids (Brolly Books, $19.95).
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