6 simple ways to start
Of course, not everyone has a playground in the neighborhood. For families who don’t, we asked our in-house pediatrician, Dr. Jim Sears, USA WEEKEND contributor and one of TV’s The Doctors, his prescription for other ways to build exercise and play into your child’s day. Sears’ suggestions:
WALK to and from school with your child. Or find a buddy she can pair up with.
TEACH some fun outdoor games your child can play in the front yard or your driveway, such as Four Square or Red Light, Green Light.
EXPLORE the neighborhood with friends by forming a weekly nature-watch group.
START a family tradition: Regardless of the weather, take a walk around the block after a big meal — even Thanksgiving.
BRING the kids when you run errands.
HEAD OUT to your local mall and window-shop together.
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To help families conquer the “play deficit” in their household, we created a series of familiar challenges and asked pediatrician Jim Sears, USA WEEKEND contributor and one of TV’s The Doctors, for some hands-on advice on how to solve them.
“It all comes down to the fact we’re not moving enough,” Sears says. “Before we walked to school. We moved around more. The key is to just lead an active lifestyle. The body is designed to be moving. So just move!”
Here are Sears’ solutions:
My 10-year-old daughter loves sports and plays recreational basketball in the fall and winter and soccer in the spring. Isn’t that enough “playtime”?
Sure, that’s some great playtime, and it is very important to have lots of playtime, but it’s also important to simply have an “active lifestyle.” By this I mean that you’re doing more “moving” than “sitting”. Walking to and from school. Riding bikes around the neighborhood, etc. So, your daughter plays sports during three out of four seasons, but is it once a week? 3 times a week? What is she doing when not playing sports? Video games?
My three kids all go to an after-school daycare. I assume they’re getting plenty of playtime there. Do I need to be concerned?
You know what happens when you “assume” right? It’s best to just ask what they’re doing at the daycare. Hopefully they’re getting lots of playtime.
I work at home. When my child gets home from school, I basically use the TV and computer as a babysitter to keep him occupied until dinnertime. Getting him to a playground just isn’t realistic.
Many families (including my own) have a similar situation. As a parent, I feel pretty guilty when my kids are just sitting in front of the TV for too long. We try to schedule the home work day so that when kids get home, maybe we take them along on some errands. We also got a 3G attachment for the laptop so we can check e-mails at the playground.
We have a playground in the neighborhood that the kids use, but it’s freezing where we live in the Midwest during the winter. Isn’t recess at school enough “playtime”? If not, what should I do?
Bottom line: school recess usually is not enough. Even in cold weather, you can have some great “active” time walking around the local mall or bundle up and walk around the block.
My 70-year-old mother watches my two kids after school while my husband and I are at work. She isn’t strong enough to run around after them at the playground and we live in the city and don’t have a yard. What can I do?
In this case maybe you should find someone else to do something with the kids. But she should be healthy enough to take them somewhere, at least for a walk. Or just at home. Play Twister or hop scotch in the hallway. Just don’t let them sit. Have them play clean the house!
I have a 12-year old who plays video games ALL the time. How can I get him off the sofa and moving. Any suggestions?
My 12-year old is the same! Don’t forget that YOU are the parent and you can insist on 1-2 hour limit on “screen time”. Take your kids on walks or even shopping with you. Walking around the grocery is store IS activity.
We live in an apartment building with no playground nearby. Suggestions?
As long as your family is “moving” more than sitting, you’ll be ok! Walk to school or work if you can. Walk to the store. Walk around the block after dinner. Even while watching TV, don’t just sit there… do something active. In our family, we set up a circuit in the room with dumb bells, exercise bands, yoga mat and we all rotate each commercial break!
Is there one thing at a playground that is better exercise than anything else? Swinging doesn’t seem like much exercise to me. Is running next to the carousel better for my kid?
I don’t like the word “exercise” for kids… sounds too boring. Pretty much doing ANYTHING active at a playground is better than video games. It needs to be fun, otherwise your child won’t keep at it very long. If your child enjoys running next to the carousel, then great! My kids would rather be ON the carousel… but I’ll get them to “race” around the far end of the playground while I chase them!
I like to go to the mall near us especially when the weather is bad. Is walking around there good exercise in the winter?
Yes, that’s a great activity!
Is it OK to bribe a child to exercise? To go to a playground? I think it’s the only thing that will get my child moving?
I don’t like to bribe kids to do something that is a “normal” thing that all kids should be doing anyway… Just go to the park as a family and play tag or something.
Is there a time of day that’s best for exercise? When my son first wakes up? Mid-day? Just before he goes to bed?
Any time really… but a bit of activity before school can really have a positive impact on his grades.
In the winter, my kids love to play our “Dance Revolution” video game. Isn’t that healthy playtime?
My kids love that, too! Have YOU tried it? It’s great activity.
How do we include playtime during the hectic, and fattening, holidays?
One of my family’s holiday traditions is to go on a walk after those big dinners
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