08 May 2012
Why do some children lead a lazybones life, while others tear around the sports field? Is it a hereditary trait? And what can parents do to encourage those children to get up off the sofa, or switch off the computer, and get a little physical?
Children's exercise specialist from Melbourne's RMIT University Dr Jeff Walkley says while everybody is born active some children learn a few lazybone habits early on, and in those cases parents can play a vital role in helping those kids to get moving a little more.
Switching off
Parents can help encourage exercise by limiting those activities that revolve around sitting and watching screens. Any more than two hours of small screen time a day can have a significant impact on health.
Postdoctoral fellow with the NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity Dr Louise Hardy is currently researching the effects of limits on screen time. She says the best way for parents to help is to provide opportunities for children to be active. Don't buy e-games as presents; instead give kids ‘active' presents such as balls, bats and totem tennis that all the family can play.
But active presents won't do it alone. A really successful sofa extraction also requires some active parenting to keep kids moving in different ways through the day, says Jeff.
"There'll be some children reluctant to do things because they've never had the expectation before. And at those times it really does come down to the strength of parenting and practising active parenting."
Tips for getting kids physical
- Choose activities that your child already has some skill in to build confidence, eg don't choose tennis if they have difficulty with ballgames.
- If they don't like traditional sports, try recreationally focused activities such as skateboarding, cycling or flying a kite.
- Organise occasions where your child can be active with or around other children so they can experience some success among their friends and develop confidence.
- Drop the kids off two blocks from school and watch them walk in.
- Explore different ways of being active, eg starting a garden provides a tangible reason to be active every day.
- Build physical activity into the daily routine, eg active travel, or 30 minutes of physical activity before starting homework.
Read the full article on School A to Z