Carole Carson

Making Time for Creative Play for Kids of All Ages

In our increasingly technological age, children have access to a wide range of digital “toys”—from iPod to Xbox. These high-tech gadgets provide great entertainment, but we shouldn’t forget that a healthy dose of good old-fashioned playtime stimulates our children in ways that video games can’t.

According to a report by the American Academy of Pediatrics unstructured play helps children to develop problem-solving skills, as well as build strong bodies. Kenneth R. Ginsburg, author of the report, writes: “It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them... As they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges.”

“Children are the future,” as the popular saying goes. They are society’s future leaders and our greatest investment. It’s good to know we can help shape their destinies, and ours, by encouraging old-fashioned fun and games.

And no matter your age, why not join your child in play? You’ll be delighted to rediscover the child that continues to live inside you, just waiting to be invited to have some fun and play.

For helpful playtime ideas, visit the RealAge Web site.

Get Your Kids Moving!

The single most important way parents can engage their kids in physical activity is to be a role model. Both parents and children need to incorporate movement into their daily lives. Playing outdoors, weather and safety permitting, should be part of your daily routine. Community sports programs are also an excellent way to promote exercise. If your kids aren’t competitive, consider enrolling them in dance, swim, martial arts or gymnastic classes. You could also mount a basketball hoop over your garage door or plan vacations around exercise opportunities, such as camping by a lake.

Photo courtesy of Neil Gould

Trivia Question

Kaiser Permanente Medical Group surveyed 710,949 children ages 2 through 19 during 2007 and 2008 to determine the extent of obesity. Children were categorized as normal weight, overweight, obese or extremely obese. What percentage of the children fell into each of the last three categories?

1. Overall, 18 percent were overweight, 9 percent were obese and 3 percent were extremely obese.

2. Overall, 25 percent were overweight, 14 percent were obese and 5 percent were extremely obese.

3. Overall, 37 percent were overweight, 19 percent were obese and 6 percent were extremely obese.

The answer is number 3. The numbers are climbing, and the age at which obesity is occurring is falling. These children run a high risk of being obese as adults and developing diabetes and life-threatening cardiovascular problems. For advice on how to keep the children in your life from snacking their way into disability or early death, go here. Working together as communities, we can reverse these statistics.

Three Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy and Trim: Tackling Childhood Obesity One Child at a Time

 

One out of three American children is overweight, a condition unacceptable to First Lady Michelle Obama, who recently launched the first salvo in her campaign against childhood obesity. In response to her concern, President Obama signed a memorandum on February 8, 2010, that created a national task force to address the issue. Members consist of the major heads of government agencies, and their charge is to define and implement ways to reverse the worrisome trend.

 

While the task force is convening, researchers suggest three actions parents can take today to ensure that their child will maintain a normal weight and develop healthy habits that will carry into adulthood. In a study of 8,550 children, researchers led by Dr. Sarah Anderson at Ohio State University found that the children of parents who followed these three simple practices were 40 percent more likely to achieve normal weight than other children were.

 

February is National Parent Leadership Month. Here’s how parents can lead their kids in becoming healthy and FIT:

 

F: Focus on eating meals together. The family that eats together becomes healthier together. Family meals tend to be more nutritious and are more likely to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. And children who take part in family meals are less likely to fill up on fast foods and sugary sodas. Aim for 5 or more nights a week.

I: Institute a nightly routine for bedtime to ensure that children get adequate rest. School-age children need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night. A survey in 2004 by the National Sleep Foundation found that American school-age children were, on average, sleeping less than 10 hours a night. This deficit can contribute to surplus pounds.

T: Turn off the television. Take control of and limit all screen time (DVD, video, video game, computer and television use). In one study, children ages 8 to 18 averaged nearly six hours a day of screen time. When limiting use, consider the age of the child: no television viewing before age 2, no more than one to two hours a day for preschool children and no more than two hours a day for school-age children.

 

These three practices will help your child avoid the discrimination and social embarrassment of being overweight as well as future medical problems associated with surplus pounds. As an added bonus, your child will perform better in school and be less likely to get into trouble.

 

Pediatricians, healthcare professionals and others who work with children, while concerned that childhood obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years, also assure us that we can eliminate the scourge of childhood obesity. They agree with First Lady Obama that the problem is “imminently solvable.” But to reverse the trend, we’ll need to make these and other changes that enhance fitness. Government intervention, national task forces and school programs are needed and appreciated, but nothing is as powerful as parental leadership. Childhood obesity can be reversed—one child at a time, one family at a time.