Healthy Toys for Healthy
Kids
By Kipp Hanley
When other kids were receiving ski lessons, Marine
Corps Marathon finisher Bill Stearns was
sidestepping hills wearing his new skis, climbing up
the hills without the help of a tow.
This story may sound like the exaggerated ones your
grandfather used to tell involving “walking to
school barefoot up hill both ways in a blizzard.”
However, it’s a good example of a child’s excitement
for fitness generated by a holiday gift like a pair
of skis. Keeping your children active can start with
the purchase of holiday gifts of athletic equipment.
The gift doesn’t have to break the bank. If your
budget for the holidays is a little tight this year,
you can skip the bicycle or skis and purchase a
football, soccer ball or just running shorts –
anything that will encourage your youngster to get
out of the house and be active.
With so many options other than athletic-related
toys in today’s consumer world, children can easily
get caught up in the seemingly endless supply of
electronic games. While video games can be a
pleasant diversion from schoolwork, they don’t
provide the same physical, mental and even emotional
benefits that come with physical activity.
Unfortunately, too many children aren’t experiencing
this type of athletic satisfaction. In a recent poll
in the United Kingdom, teachers cited holiday gifts
as the top reason that 1 of 10 six-year-olds in
Great Britain are obese. These days, many children
are clamoring for cell phones or the latest X-Box or
Playstation game, instead of getting roller skates,
skateboards or other popular gifts of the 1970s,
which encouraged a more active lifestyle
Obesity in the United States is even a greater
threat. In 1999, 13% of US children aged 6 to 11
years and 14% of US adolescents aged 12 to 19 years
were overweight. This prevalence has nearly tripled
for adolescents in the past two decades.
Bill Stearns, an athletic director since 2003 and a
track coach in New Jersey and Virginia during much
of the past 25 years, started to see an “alarming”
drop off in the fitness level of his team members.
To combat this issue, in the Stearns’ household
there are no video games for his seven-year-old
daughter, Mary Faith, to play. Instead, she takes
karate lessons and sometimes tags along with on a
run with dad.
Here are some helpful hints, if you are considering
the purchase of an athletic-related toy for the
holidays. Put a smile on your child’s face and
provide him or her motivation to live an active,
healthy lifestyle. You might even give your son or
daughter the inspiration to participate in the
October one-mile Healthy Kids Fun Run, held in
conjunction with the annual Marine Corps Marathon.
1. You can get good deals on seasonal items at
sporting goods or chain department stores. For
example, look for football sales in the summer and
early fall, before the high school, college and NFL
seasons begin.
2. Buy anything that encourages aerobic activity.
For children ages 6-13, it’s more important for them
to exercise their hearts than build up muscle
strength. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns
that those who aren’t fully developed physically
should avoid heavy lifting. According to the AAP,
the average age of developmental maturity is 15.
Instead of a set of weights for your pre-teen, buy
your child a bicycle, a skateboard, inline skates or
even a jump rope or running shoes. If you want to
encourage them to participate in team sports, buy
them a soccer ball, football or basketball.
3. Not all video games lend themselves to a
sedentary lifestyle. Sodexho registered nurse and
licensed dietician Tina Reddington suggests
purchasing Dance Dance Revolution, a Japanese game
that features a dance pad and a video screen in
which a person can boogie to a selected beat by
taking cues from what they see on the screen. This
game is wildly popular at video arcades and
different versions of it can be found now on
Playstation, GameCube, X-Box and Game Boy.
4. There are many great gifts you can buy your
children for the holidays that lend themselves to
working out together. Surprise your child by
purchasing karate lessons for the family. Dietrich’s
Karate Studios in Burke, Va. offers karate lessons
for families with children ages six and older. A
large percentage of their clientele pursue this
route. Mister Stepanyah, an employee of the studio,
said those families who workout together are trying
to reach the same goal, so the family bonding and
confidence building is “awesome.”
From basketball to bicycles, there are plenty of
great presents out there for the holidays. Perhaps
the most important gift you can give your child to
promote a healthy lifestyle is your time.
Articles in the Healthy Kids Series are presented by
the Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun Run to be
held in October 2007. Visit
www.marinemarathon.com for more
information. The one-mile run welcomes children ages
6-13. Kipp Hanley is the Marketing Coordinator for
the Marine Corps Marathon. No federal or Marine
Corps endorsement implied.
|
