ACTIVE PLAY “It’s a happy talent to know how to play.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
While you may think of your child as a non-stop whirligig, the fact is that kids are less fit and more fat than they were 30 years ago. TV, cars, computers, fast food, endless waiting lines, these are easy targets to blame. Far more crippling has been the general lack of attention even by educators to the importance of physical activity. So fixated have we become on cognitive development and the acquisition of academic skills that motor skills have been shortchanged and physical milestones forgotten. School without recess is part of this disturbing trend.
Put your kids on the right track to good health by ensuring that physical activity is a part of their daily routine.
Go Pro-Active from the start!
Infant-Toddler Years
By 2 1/2, most children have amassed a wealth of physical skills, starting with rolling over to learning how to sit, crawl, stand, walk and run. They love to play, toss and bounce.
• To encourage crawling, place a favorite toy just outside of an infant’s reach.
• For the beginning walker, provide pull-up and push and pull toys.
• Provide balls for bouncing, tossing and rolling.
Preschool Years
By 3 years old, most kids can go up and down stairs, jump in place, and throw a ball overhand. By 4 years old, they can catch a bounced ball, jump with a running start, and pedal a tricycle. By 5 years old, they can skip, leading with one foot, and pump on a swing.
• Provide the playthings that encourage these activities -balls, tricycles, scooters, tumbling mats and jumping ropes.
• Visit the neighborhood playground and park where there are swings, jungle gyms & slides.
• Allow time and space for running and jumping.
School Years
These are the years that kids start to put it all together. By age 8, most kids can ride a bicycle, engage in a game of catch, possess enough eye-hand coordination to hit a ball with a bat, tennis racket or golf club, and know how to follow rules.
• Encourage your middle - school child to take up a team or individual sport.
• For non- sports fans, consider performance arts.
• Provide active play alternatives to videos and TV for social time when the friends get together.
GET PHYSICAL!
It’s good for all of you!
Body - Physical activity improves circulation, builds and maintains healthy bones, muscles and joints, and chews away fat.
Mind - Exercise gets the juices flowing, rushing blood to the brain, so the mind processes and retains information and actually thinks better.
Heart -Active play is a natural high, relieving stress, helping kids to relax and sleep better.
Soul - Physical achievement enhances a child’s self image and sense of independence.
For more information on the importance of physical activity and active play ideas, check out some of these convenient resources:
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/
www.illinoisearlylearning.org
www.gameskidsplay.net
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