Fitness
Activities & Crafts
Fitness
for Kids
This
report really says it all...
Nanci
Hellmich, "Study: Children don't exercise nearly enough at
preschool", USA Today, November 1, 2004, Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-11-01-preschool-exercise_x.htm
Children
are supposed to play, run, jump and be active for at least two
hours a day, but most aren't doing even half that much at preschool,
says one of the first large studies to examine physical activity
in children ages 3 to 5.
This
low activity level could be contributing to the increasing problem
of excess weight in kids, says researcher Russ Pate, a professor
of exercise science at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.
About
10% of children ages 2 to 5 are overweight; another 12% are at
risk of becoming so, the latest government statistics show. More
than half of 3- to 5-year-olds go to preschool.
Children
need more vigorous play during unstructured free time at preschool,
Pate says, and they also need more organized physical activities,
like dancing the hokey-pokey.
In
the study, Pate and colleagues examined activity levels of 281
kids at nine preschools in Columbia, S.C., including church-based,
private programs and Head Start.
The
children wore accelerometers, a small activity monitor, for about
4 hours a day. Researchers also watched their activities. Among
findings published in November's Pediatrics:
•
The kids did an average of 7.7 minutes an hour of moderate to
vigorous activity at preschool. Often it was done in blocks of
time when the children were outside.
•
Boys were more likely to participate in moderate or vigorous physical
activity than girls. That has been consistent at all ages, Pate
says. "What's interesting is we're observing that in kids
this young."
•
Children ages 4 to 5 were more likely to be sedentary and had
fewer times of light activity, like walking slowly, than 3-year-olds.
All movement, even light activity, matters when it comes to controlling
weight, Pate says.
Pate
was on a committee that 10 years ago advised that adults get at
least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week.
"If
(kids) are not getting enough activity at school, then it's not
likely they will get the remaining activity after they leave,"
he says. Still, "we encourage parents to make sure their
children are active at home."
His
best advice: Getting outside, "one of the most consistent
and strong predictors of activity." That's true for kids
of all ages, he says.
Others
agree that activity is critical for preschool children.
"One
of the trends we've seen is that the focus of many preschool programs
may be becoming more narrow, focusing on cognitive development
such as preliteracy, premath skills," says Mark Ginsberg
of the National Association for the Education of Young Children,
an organization of more than 100,000 early childhood professionals.
"Our feeling is that programs also need to address social,
emotional and physical development."
There
you have it, parents NEED to take an active role in ensuring that
their child is getting the needed daily physical activity. The
comment..."If (kids) are not getting
enough activity at school, then it's not likely they will get
the remaining activity after they leave," he says. Still,
"we encourage parents to make sure their children are active
at home." is the very reason this chapter was
included in this book. Below you will find activities that will
get your child's heart pumping and strengthen bones and muscles.
One
last thing, there are three points that need to be made to parents
that are wanting to get their child active:
1.
As much as I love sports and think they are great for exercise,
please don’t push organized sports on your preschooler.
Most preschoolers are neither ready nor interested in organized
sports, until at least the age of six. Organized sports should
be for the child‘s enjoyment and development, not so a parent‘s
dream of bringing up a sports superstar can be realized.
Focus
on fun and socialization!
2.
Free play should by the first focus for your child. Free play
that is carefully planned to provide chances for your preschooler
to acquire and fine-tune basic motor skills and to reach his or
her capacity at his or her own speed is better than organized
play.
3. Exercise and play with your child. Parents should serve as
role models for their children by participating in regular physical
exercise programs themselves. In addition, parents should engage
in physical activities with their preschoolers. Your child will
be more willing to engage in active exercise, if you do.
Cardboard
Box Play House
Age: 3
and Up
Mess: High
Material: Empty large cardboard boxes and tape
Instructions: This is a favorite of my girls.
Tape the boxes together to make a maze and or obstacle course
for the kids. It will not last long so if it is warm outside put
it in your backyard (if you have one). Give the kids markers and
or paint and let them decorate the boxes also. This activity will
keep them running around and active for hours.
Duck
walk Tag
Age: 4 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: None
Instructions: This exercise works the legs hard.
Show your child how to walk like a duck and then if you have more
then one child or you are able to do the duck walk, play duck
walk tag or have a race.
Tag
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: None
Instructions: Just play tag with your child.
They love to do it and it is a great way to get the heart pumping.
Little ones get frustrated easily if they can not catch you or
are always it so let them catch you and make it so they are hard
to catch.
Sky
is Falling
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Balloons
Instructions: Blow up a hole bunch of balloons
and have your child try to keep them all in the air. Tell them
the sky is falling and he or she needs to push it back up.
Balloon
Tennis
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Medium
Material: Balloon, empty paper towel roll or
wooden spoon, paper plate and tape
Instructions: Tape a paper plate to either an
empty paper towel roll or a wooden spoon for the tennis racket.
Know play tennis with your child and use a balloon as the ball.
Dancing
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Music
Instructions: Children love to dance. Play some
fun music and dance with them.
Beach
Ball Catch
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Beach Ball
Instructions: Play catch with your child using
a beach ball. For older kids you can use rubber balls but be careful
most preschoolers will close their eyes when the ball comes to
them. Using a beach ball is the safe way to go.
Bunny
Hop
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: None
Instructions: Show your youngster how a bunny
hops and have then hop around like a bunny. If you want make them
a Bunny Mask as found in the Valentine's chapter and have them
pretend they are the easter bunny. As with the duck walk you can
play tag or race with your child doing this also.
Laundry
Ball
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Beach Ball and laundry basket
Instructions: Play basketball with your child
using the laundry basket as the hoop and the beach ball as the
basket ball.
Copy
Cat (Follow the leader)
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: None
Instructions: You can do this one of two ways.
You can stand in front of a mirror with your child and have them
imitate everything you do or you can play follow the leader and
they have to do what the leader does. Switch back and forth as
to who is the leader.
Superhero
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Small blanket for a cape
Instructions: Dress your child up as superman
or supergirl and have them fly around and save people. As soon
as you put a cape on kids the automatically start running.
Broom
Handle Chin Ups
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: Wooden Broomstick Handle
Instructions: Hold the broomstick in front of
you and have your child hold on to it, then try and lift them
up. After a while they can start holding their weight off the
ground you can start getting them to pull themselves up off the
floor.
Activity
Centers
Age: 3 and Up
Mess: Low
Material: None
Instructions: Take your kids to the park or the
local area activity center where they can run around and play
with other kids. You do not have to stay long, a half an hour
is fine.
