Q: What are your recommendations for getting children involved in fitness from an early age?
Jane Goodman, San Mateo, Calif.
A: While obesity rates have doubled for adults over the past 20 years, they have tripled for school-age children. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1 child in 5 is overweight; the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reports that 3 out of 4 school-age children have three or more risk factors for heart disease. Our nation’s children are on a course for developing diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and other lifestyle-related diseases at a much younger age than the current adult generations.
The amount of time involved with play activity is being squeezed out by video games and TV. Inactivity for long periods of time is not appropriate for children because this is the time of life when they develop strong bones, muscle, heart and lung capacity and, emotionally, self-confidence (this is profoundly evident with girls).
The National Association for Sports and Physical Education offers parents suggestions and written materials geared to children of all ages. For infants, they recommend brightly colored toys of varying textures to help motivate a baby to reach, grasp, and roll over. When crawling starts, keep a large, safe area for them to explore. Toddlers (about age 2) are ready to develop eye-hand coordination. Bouncing and chasing balls and dancing to favorite songs facilitate this. Preschoolers (age 3-4) can handle activities that challenge balancing skills as well as running, hopping (age 3), and skipping (age 4). Kindergarteners (age 5) can enjoy games like freeze tag (for balance), kicking a ball, and more vigorous games like “tag,” “duck, duck, goose” and “follow the leader.” Except when sleeping, toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners should not be sedentary for more than an hour.
It is important for parents to join in activity whenever possible because this reinforces a lifetime of physical activity for the children. According to Leonard Epstein, Ph.D., professor of Preventative Medicine and Nutrition at State University of New York-Buffalo, “There’s a lot of evidence that the best predictor of child activity levels is parent activity levels.”
Other activities that children of all ages and parents can enjoy together are swimming, walking and riding tricycles/bicycles.
For more information, see: Kids Health (kidshealth.org), developed by The Nemours Center for Children’s Health, devoted to improving the health of children; The National Association for Sports and Physical Education link with the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (800-213-7193 or aahperd.org/naspe); “Athletic Baby Walk, Run and Play” (a CD series that introduces infants and toddlers to physical activity and sports, athleticBaby.com, $16.99); Fitdeck Jr. (a card game developed by Phil Black full of fitness games and exercises kids and parents can do together, FitDeck.com, $14.95).
Linda Buch, ACE certified exercise specialist, will respond to fitness questions only in her weekly column. Send questions to: Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 or LJBalance@aol.com.
