How to Encourage Play and Exercise For Children

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By georgelarson
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Kids play, exercise, and grow.

When children return from playing they are tired and ready for a nap. This is an accurate description, and the truth, as playing is hard work. Exercise, in the form of playing, is exhilarating and exhausting for the child and it plays an important role in helping them to become productive and healthy adults.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Creative ways to encourage your kids to be active.

Step 1

Exercise and Play For Children

When we were children we spent our free time outside playing hopscotch, 4-man baseball, kick ball, jumping rope, riding our bikes, and on and on. Today the world of roaming the neighborhood freely has been taken away and technology has enticed children to watch television, surf the Internet, and play video games. It is important for adults to understand that the role of play and exercise in the life of a young child provides them with many benefits and it is important to keep them active. Exercise is an important part of keeping the young body fit as it grows into an adult body. Once they reach adulthood, if the kids have had the benefit of exercise and play, they are more likely to continue that habit well into their adult years.
Step 2

Exercise and Play Teaches Kids

Play is also good in the form of participating in organized sports or going to a friends house to play with several kids. Playing on this level teaches kids how to interact with their peers and be part of a team working with others. What they learn in body language, coping skills, and through interaction with others is invaluable. As they grow and move into the business world, these skills are essential.
Step 3

Exercise Is An Important Part of Growing Up Healthy

The benefits that are gained from play time as children will benefit your kids for the rest of their lives. As adults we, all too often, forget how important both exercise and play are. There are ways to encourage your children to remain active, exercise, play, and grow.
-Be an example. Even when your children are infants let them see you exercising and making physical activity an important part of your life. Include them in on the activity so they become accustomed to being active. As they grow up your kids will learn that exercise and physical activity is fun and an important part of their life.
-Make exercise family friendly. Be creative and think activities you can do together that encourage your children to get up and start moving! Install a basketball hoop, take bike rides, or even go for a walk each evening. Being active will turn into a habit for the health of your entire family.
-Encourage your kids to explore what interests them. The key is to find what inspires your child and encourage them to pursue that activity. They do not need to excel to great heights with it, just so they enjoy it and being active becomes a way of life.

Comments

shannonny said

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on 10/30/2008 Thank you for this good article--a kind of bittersweet reminder for me of how quickly times have changed. I was thinking just yesterday about being a kid growing up in Hollywood--Hollywood!--riding my bike and rollerskating all around the neighborhood, playing games outside with all the kids on the street before dinner: hide-and-seek, blind man's bluff, statues, Red Rover, hopscotch, jump rope...seems like stuff that kids did a hundred years ago and I'm only 45. 5 Stars.

thesquirrelymom said

on 10/23/2008 Great tips in a time when the childhood obesity rate is way out of control.

Oregonwildlifer said

on 10/23/2008 This is so true. My son is 2 1/2, and we go for a one mile walk almost everyday. Actually, I go for a walk, he goes for a run! He has so much energy that he runs the whole way, and I know the walk was successful when he is tired when we get home. It's kind of like having a dog....:)