Post on 18-Nov-2014
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Encouraging Children To Be Active
You seem to read things in the paper on online every day
about the issue of obesity and how we, as a nation, are
getting fatter and unhealthier, starting in early childhood.
How do you go about ensuring that your child
won’t have health problems later in life or go through
the misery of being teased at school because of their
weight?
This is a good place to point out that teasing and name-calling is one of the things we are really against here
at Friday’s Child Montessori.
This sort of thing goes right against the Montessori
principle of courtesy and being a good citizen, and the teachers are alert for any sort of bullying going
on.
If you think that your child is having a problem in this area – either as the bully or as the victim – please let us know.
But back to weight issues. One of the reasons that
we’re seeing this increase in childhood obesity throughout the Western world is because children are less active than
they used to be.
The other reason is the prevalence of fast food and
processed food.
A lot of things are to blame for the reduction in
activity that seems to be going on.
Sometimes, it’s a matter of space.
Gardens are getting smaller
while houses are getting bigger
What can you do to help your children become active enough to stay
healthy?
All children really need is opportunity. However, the
secret is to provide opportunities for activity that
aren’t likely to cause havoc and destruction – and aren’t just before bedtime or when you
want a bit of peace and quiet.
The other thing to bear in mind is that you will need to get involved in some of these activities. This will probably do you some good and help your fitness level as
well!
Try the following ways of encouraging your child to enjoy
active play and activity in general:
Outdoor play equipment.
If you have a small amount of space, provide some form of outdoor play equipment.
Outdoor play equipment doesn’t have to be
expensive, either. A chalk hopscotch figure that’s the
right size for your child and a couple of old tyres to climb plus a ball or two is enough.
Let children go outside when it’s raining.
Sure, you don’t want your precious child to freeze or catch hypothermia,
but the chances of that happening here on the Gold Coast are pretty slim. So
let children run around outside a bit on rainy days, even if they get muddy.
Dance.
Arrange your living room and/or
your child’s bedroom so he or she can have the fun of moving to
music.
Encourage outdoor or active hobbies rather than (or as
well as) passive indoor ones.
During the weekend, don’t just curl up in front of the TV, DVD
player or computer. Head to the beach or the local swimming
pool.
Go for a bike ride
Go for a walk. Weekend activity doesn’t have to involve
organised sports clubs – doing it free range is just as good and
just as fun.
Romp and roughhouse with small children.
This seems to be something that dads tend to be very good at – play wrestling and general clowning around.
You need to have a clear space in the living room for this to
take place, and you’ll need to set boundaries
Pillow fights fall into this category, or you can
have battles with pool noodles or foam rubber
swords.
In the past, some experts, particularly Dr Spock,
discouraged this sort of play between adults and children, but today, it’s more widely held that your instincts is right and this
sort of play is healthy.
It’s a good way for adults to release a bit of stress and goof off, as well as giving the children quality time and exercise.
It helps children learn how to be strong and aggressive without being violent (and you can teach them a few good self-defence moves if you feel like it).
Build walking and being more active into your
routines.You might find it hard to break the habit of taking the lift rather than the
stairs or parking as close to the shops as you can.
But if you make yourself do it, especially when you’re with your children, this sort of thing will become normal for your children and they’ll get good habits that will (hopefully) last a lifetime.
For more fun activities check out www.fridayschildmontessori.com