Submitted by Sarah Morris on behalf of Primrose Schools – offering the highest standards in day care available.

Today’s parents are busier than ever, and unfortunately it’s showing in our kids. Quickly prepared but poorly balanced meals in combination with a lack of regular, consistent and vigorous physical exertion has led to a frightening rise in the rates of overweight and obese children, adolescents and teens. Federal guidelines insist that children need 60 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week for optimum health. That goal is not being met.

• Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese. (Source: Centers for Disease Control)
• Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. (Source: US Department of Health and Human Services)

Children need regular activity to ensure proper bone, muscle and cardiovascular development. Repetitive motions like running, skipping, jumping, catching, throwing and balance help to increase the basic motor skills that your children need for advanced thought and reasoning abilities. Exercise is a must for your child’s healthy physical and mental development. Children who are physically active are happier, sleep better, and do better in school.

Everyone agrees that active kids are healthy kids. What can busy parents do to emphasize the importance of regular exercise? Read on for some simple tips to get your kids off the couch and into fitness for at least an hour a day.

1)  Make playtime safe time. Roll up the rugs indoors and clear the floors of cords or other hazards. Take a day to childproof your yard. Fill any holes and remove gardening tools or other dangers.

2)  Give them the equipment they need. You wouldn’t send them to school without a pencil; make sure they have plenty of quality sporting goods and toys, including:

• Field hockey sticks or soccer balls and goals; plastic balls, bats and tees; small parachutes; cones or pylons for obstacle courses; badminton racquets and birdies or a volleyball and net; sidewalk paints, chalks, and bubble solution; paddling pools and beach balls; jump ropes and flying discs; musical instruments; roller skates, bikes or ride-on cars with helmets and pads.
• Consider the age of your child when buying. Purchase toys and equipment that are appropriate, lightweight and soft.

3)  Make time to play with your children. You might be surprised at how much time you waste in unnecessary, sedentary activities. Turn off the TV and take the kids outside. Your children will thank you, and you’ll feel better, too!

• Set out on a daily after-dinner hike and run, skip and march down the block; have an informal family badminton game; float a parachute and take turns running beneath; go for a summer “swim” in a wading pool; chase bubbles or fireflies; play catch; spin a jump rope and sing rhymes while everyone takes a turn ducking in.
• Turn up the music and have a family dance party; play “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” or “Ring-Around-the-Rosie.”
• Be your child’s best advocate. Play at their level and let them win sometimes. Ignore failed attempts and applaud successes. Remember that all skills are learned in increments and no one is an expert overnight.
• Use concrete language to praise and encourage your child. The best coaches are the ones who have the children’s best interest at heart. Specific comments will help your child feel individual and loved.

Children are the greatest gifts we can receive in this life, and the greatest gifts we can bestow on the world. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of busy days we forget how precious our time with them is. Play with your children. Give them a healthy start while making memories that last a lifetime.