Fitness Fun!
Making Fitness Part of Your Child’s Routine
By Kristin Swick
According to a recent Duke University Study that highlights the
alarming trend in obesity among our nation’s children, nearly 15% of
children are now categorized as seriously overweight. Although
American adults are embracing healthier lifestyles, our children are
falling into an obesity trend. To reverse this trend, we must become
role models for our children and make fitness part of your child’s
routine.
- Being a role model does not mean that you need to sign up for
the next marathon. What counts most are the daily decisions you
make about your lifestyle. Challenge yourself to find ways to make
fitness fun for your kids:
- Take the stairs at the mall instead of the escalator. Have
your child first guess how many steps there are and then you can
count them together.
- Go on a ‘treasure hunt’ walk. Give your preschoolers a bag and
let them see how many unique treasures (like feathers, twigs,
unique pebbles) they can find on the walk and then when you get
home, tape all the adventure treasures on a plain piece of paper
to make a collage.
- If you have an exercise regimen that you follow at home,
include your child as much as possible. Your baby can lie on your
stomach as you do crunches, or you can lie her on her back on the
floor as you do pushups over top of her (and give her a peck on
the cheek each time you reach down towards her). Babies love the
close contact with your face and they will benefit from your
counting if you do it out loud. For older kids, let them be your
coach and count for you as you do repetitions of your preferred
exercise.
Group fitness and sports are also a great way for children to
learn to embrace fitness rather than shy away from it. In these
programs, children learn to take risks without the fear of failing;
they learn to trust their body movement and they acquire
self-confidence that helps them learn to enjoy physical activity
throughout their youth.
There are many wonderful fitness programs in the Washington Metro
area, but with so many choices, it can be difficult to make an
educated decision about which is best for your child. Most can be
categorized into one of three types of classes:
Structured Play Classes– In these classes, your child will
experience supervised play as well as organized group activities.
Structured play classes are a great option if you are looking for a
safe place where children can explore kid-friendly play equipment
like ball pits and jungle gyms and also interact with other children
of the same age. These classes are usually offered in short segments
of 6-10 weeks.
Non-Competitive Programs– Non-competitive fitness programs
combine the fun of play with curriculum-based skill building.
Programs like karate, gymnastics and dance typically focus on core
emotional, cognitive and social benefits as a base for learning the
skills of the sport. These curriculum-based programs are usually
longer in duration than play classes. As you gain consistency with
the program, the benefits to the child increase dramatically.
Session duration varies, but most suggest a commitment of 15 weeks
to a full year.
Competitive Programs- Almost any sport offered in a
non-competitive environment can be enjoyed competitively. The
younger your child, the less likely it is they will thrive in a
competitive environment. However, many competitive organizations
have tapped into the infant, toddler and preschool markets by
offering less-intense children’s programs to build a base of talent
for their young teams.
Consider the following when choosing a children’s fitness
program:
- Experience/Training. Pay attention to the instructors’
backgrounds. In addition to skill expertise, look for experience
and/or training in teaching children of your child’s age.
- Curriculum. Make sure there is a lesson plan. Find out what
parts of the class are consistent and which parts will change from
week to week. You want things to change enough that your child
will be continually stimulated, but most kids respond best to
classes if the format is consistent.
- Music. Upbeat, rhythmic music is more than just fun. Moving to
the rhythm of music has been shown to improve cognitive
development in infants and toddlers. Directive music, that which
requires children to listen for cues and follow along without
being told what to do, is also a powerful way to reinforce
independence and fine-tune listening skills.
- Cleanliness. Don’t be afraid to ask how often the mats are
washed, the bells are disinfected or the balls in the ball pit are
cleaned. Also check to make sure the “make-up” policy is liberal
enough to encourage parents to stay home when their kids are under
the weather.
- Try the Class First. Most places will allow, and even
encourage, an introductory visit as a way to help you determine if
the program is the right fit for you and your child.
- Instinct. Most importantly, go with what feels right to you.
Whether you are considering a play environment or a skill-based
class, have confidence in your instinct as a parent. If you are
going to make a commitment, make sure that both you and your child
are having fun…the other benefits will follow.
Kristin Swick a mother of two, was so impressed by the
benefits of introducing fitness to children, that she left her
corporate job to join The Little Gym, a non-competitive children’s
motor skill development program with facilities throughout the
Washington Metro area. For more information on The Little Gym, go to
www.thelittlegum.com. |
