Parents Guide To Promoting Active Kids
Exercise is an important part of your child’s health.
The current recommendation for children is to have at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week. Activity can be accumulated throughout the day.
Even blocks of time as short as 15 minutes or more can be accumulated throughout the day to achieve this goal. This sixty minute recommendation can be accomplished very easily by including activity into your child's daily routine.
Many parents think of organized sports like soccer or baseball when they think of getting exercise. Unfortunately, practice and games once or twice a week are not enough activity to reach the recommended goal of at least 60 minutes everyday.
You can’t rely on physical education in schools to provide enough activity for children. The good news is that there are many ways that we can keep our children active everyday! For example, try taking the stairs instead of an elevator or parking further away and walking to the store. Don’t forget activities like raking leaves, shoveling snow or having your child clean his or her room.
Almost 30% of U.S. children do not exercise three or more times a week.
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Emphasize activity, not exercise.
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Free-play activities can be great for burning calories and improving fitness. These activities can include playing tag, jumping rope, or dancing.
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Find activities your child likes to do. Occasionally let your child choose the activity of the day or week.
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Find fun activities the whole family can do together, such as nature walks or bike-riding.
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Limit screen time (TV, games, computers) to 2 hours a day.
Healthy Eating
Healthy Child
Written by Michelle Mirizzi
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Written on Jun 15, 2012
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Last updated on Aug 27, 2013
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