Parent Activity Tips for Children

How do your children spend their free time on the weekends and after school? Do they play in the backyard or at the park? Do they play on swings, ride their bikes, rollerblade or skateboard with their friends – or do they spend long hours watching television or playing computer games?

Just as Australian adults are becoming more overweight, so are our children. Research shows that up to one third of Australian children are overweight. Overweight children turn into overweight adults who then are at risk to health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and some cancers.

Our lives today seem to be more and more about convenience and saving time. Both adults and children rely more on gadgets and services which reduce physical activity - lifts, escalators, remote control garage doors/TV’s/videos, internet shopping, food take-away home delivery, which all reduce physical activity. Research also shows that Australian children now watch between 20-30 hours of television every week, and don’t even have to move to change the channel.

Physical activity plays a major role in maintaining a healthy body weight and that’s why it is so important to encourage children to be active.

Children are often quite happy being active, they just need ideas. It is important that activity for a child is a positive experience so that they are not discouraged at such a young age. For instance, if the child is not coordinated at ball catching, it might be important to encourage practice of this skill but in a non threatening environment, not in a competitive team environment such as netball or basketball.

Activity doesn’t have to be a structured sport, but it is important that children are given encouragement and the oportitunity to participate. To find out what sport opportunities are in your area enquire at your local library or community centre or at your child’s school for information.

Finding the right sport for your child may need a little patience and commitment but will be worth it in the long run. Besides preventing weight problems, children learn life skills from being part of a team and/or club. Children learn discipline, coordination, communication skills, team work and may develop a passion for their chosen sport that will continue into adult life. Exercise also helps to reduce feelings of stress which are common during adolescence. Children can meet their life long friends which can open up options to meet doing activity rather than always meet in more sedentary environments (movies, videos, eateries, computer games).

By encouraging your child to be active at a young age is setting an invaluable lifestyle for the future. Of course children are also encouraged by example. If the adults surrounding children are also active then children can observe that activity and sport is not just for kids! So set a good example – whenever you can, walk instead of driving to the shops; take the stairs instead of the lift; organise social meetings with friends around activity such as tennis or squash.

There are so many non structured ways to encourage activity for children. Many ways can involve the whole family. For example-

• If school is walking distance, walk instead of driving them to school
• Visit the beach and take the cricket bat/ball and Frisbee
• Take the dog for a walk
• Do some backyard gardening and build a vegetable patch
• Visit the local swimming pool
• Visit the local park with playground equipment or take a footy to kick
• Take a bike ride and find some favourite local spots for a picnic or drink stop.
• Find out, through recreation/community centres about your surrounding areas and organise a bush walk in the hills or outer city.
• Find outings that involve walking- visit the zoo or a museum
• Do a community walk (eg. All Australian states have a ‘city to surf’ fun run/walk plus many more community walks)
• Choose presents for children that encourage activity- kites, outdoor equipment, gift vouchers to outdoor activity parks/canoe hire/roller rinks (instead of movie vouchers)

Finding activities that are fun and energizing are the key. Both the children and the adults forget the effort involved in performing the activity when it is something they all enjoy.