10 Tips for Making Daily Physical Activity Part of Your Childs Life!

Here's some of the bad news about sedentary lifestyles:

? Forty percent of children ages 5 to 8 show at least one heart disease risk factor, including hypertension and obesity, which among children has doubled over the past two decades.

? The first signs of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) are appearing at age 5 ? something never before seen in anyone under the age of 30.

? Children 6 to 10 are dying of sudden cardiopulmonary arrest.

? According to a recent Centers for Disease Control study, American children born in 2000 face a one-in-three chance of developing Type 2 diabetes ? what used to be called adult-onset diabetes!

? This is thought to be the first generation of children that won't outlive their parents.

The good news is that it doesn't take much to turn things around. We just have to make sure our kids are physically active! Following are some tips for making that happen:

1. Turn off the TV! Research shows children are being electronically entertained an average of five to six hours a week. Without electronics, they'll have to find other ways to keep themselves entertained.

2. Encourage your children to engage in active play. Research shows that the children who are most active are those whose parents have encouraged them to be active.

3. Play with your children! Blow bubbles for them to chase, play tag and hide-and-seek, put on an up-tempo song and boogie in the living room, or put on a John Philip Sousa march ? or break out the pots and pans ? and hold a parade around the house!

4. Serve as a role model, taking part in physical activity ? cheerfully ? yourself.

5. Take the children to parks, playgrounds, beaches, and on hikes during vacations and weekends ? instead of to amusement parks, where they'll stand in lines and then sit on rides.

6. Don't send the wrong message about physical activity by endlessly circling the parking lot for the spot closest to the door. Instead, make a game out of parking as far from the door as possible and finding different ways to get to it (walking backward, tiptoeing, jogging, or skipping).

7. When it's time for gift giving, select items like hula hoops; balls in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures; roller skates; or a wading pool or swing set. When shopping for games, Twister has more to offer than a board game. And CDs with lively music are a better choice than movie videos.

8. Don't expect organized sports to take care of your child's physical activity needs. There's more waiting than moving in most organized, adult-directed games.

9. Fight to keep physical education and recess in your child's school ? or, if necessary, to get them back! The research shows that, among other things, physical activity contributes to a better attitude toward school and improves academic achievement and test scores!

10. Make sure your child associates physical activity with FUN!

Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and the author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Visit her and read more articles at http://www.movingandlearning.com

---

Cooking With Your Kids Helps Develop Motor Skills for Preschoolers

Did you know that cooking with your kids is a... Read More

The Mystery of Child Beliefs, Spirit in Children, Understanding Spirtuality in Children

In the wonderment of childhood, it is easier for a... Read More

The Classic ADHD Child Reminds Me of Tigger

ADHD comes in differenty forms, or types. What... Read More

Positive Parenting - Oops! I Really Lost My Temper With My Kids, What Now?

Ever blown your top to your children, only to regret... Read More

Book Review: How to Get Your Child to Love Reading

How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived... Read More

Second Letter to My Daughter

Dear Camille,As I thumb through the photographs that I carry... Read More

War Declared On Instant Messenger: How to Stop Your Child from Wasting Their Life Away Online

Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is... Read More

Advantages of Using a Board Certified Pediatrician

When a child is born, a new number is added... Read More

Super Nanny - A Users Guide to Watching Super Nanny

There are many things to like about the television show... Read More

The Secret of Understanding Children

It was a day that I will forever be etched... Read More

How to Stop Bad Behavior Before it Starts

Coping with a child's bad behavior, perhaps more than any... Read More

How To Use Positive Child Discipline

I am a single mother of a 17 year old... Read More

Ultimate Airplane Themed Games & Activities for your Childs Birthday Party

Are you looking for the Ultimate Airplane Themed Party Games... Read More

Americas Public schools --- Deteriorating Like They Did In Ancient Rome

The citizens of the early Roman Republic enjoyed an education... Read More

Some Thoughts on Counseling Goals for ADHD

What should the goals for counseling be when the patient... Read More

The Science of Mother Love

A growing body of scientific evidence shows that the way... Read More

Bless Your Child With The Name

What a dreamer I am when thinking about parenthood. Most... Read More

Character Education

Every parent wants their child to develop positive character traits.... Read More

Friendships - Helping Children Develop Friendship Skills

Reasearch into children's friendships shows that those children who are... Read More

Help! My Kids Dont Listen to Me

Does this sound familiar? Have your kids not listened to... Read More

Home For The Holidays: Is it Time for That Talk?

Just a couple of years ago Annie helped her parents... Read More

Eating Disorders in Children

If I had a dollar for every time I persuaded... Read More

Surprise ? Public School Class Size Doesnt Matter Very Much

School authorities often complain that classes are too large. They... Read More

CPR: Why You Should Know It

I never dreamed that I would be in a position... Read More

Some Tips for Healthy Parenting

Looking back through my files I've come across several great... Read More

Homeschooling ? Can I Do It?

Many parents would like to homeschool their children but are... Read More

Kids, Chores & More

Are you a frustrated parent who sometimes finds it is... Read More

How To Teach Your Children Courage

Courage means doing the right thing when it is hard,... Read More

Teach Your Children About the Importance of Water

The Flow of WaterWater is essential for life on the... Read More

How You Can Help Your Child To Be An Avid Reader

Reading is the most efficient and economical way to help... Read More

How Public Schools Lie to Parents and Betray Our Children

Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose... Read More

Raising a Violent-Free Teen in 10 Easy Steps

The disquieting behavior of teenagers in the 21st century, is... Read More

Public Schools --- Why On Earth Do We Need Them?

From the time the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in... Read More