International Childhood Fitness Week
Why is it so hard to convince children to exercise? For starters, TV shows, video games and portable electronics make it easy to be entertained without having to move from a sitting position.
In many parts of the world, children are preparing for the summer holiday where school is out and there is plenty of time to run and play. Unfortunately, many students see school holidays as a time to be spent in sedentary seclusion, right in front of a screen. But there are parent resources for you to combat too-much screen time with fun, exercise-based activities.
Writer Stephanie Cajigal’s SheKnows.com article 7 ways to keep your kids active this summer states:
“…a study published in 2007 in the American Journal of Public Health reported that the body mass indexes (BMI) of more than 5,000 kindergartners and first graders increased by almost twice as much during summer break as compared with the school year.”
In Stephanie’s article, she details 7 ways to create healthy habits throughout the summer for young children. These types of interactions can help develop healthy habits in kids while associating physical activities with fun.
In the United States, First Lady Michelle Obama launched a campaign early in the Obama Administration to help young people stay fit and healthy. Her “Let’s Move” campaign has reached millions of students in the United States and has encouraged them to create healthy habits early in life. Her “Kid’s State Dinner” and “Healthy Lunch Challenges” allow children to use their creativity as they prepare new, tasty meals for their families to enjoy.
FasTracKids has dedicated the week of April 25-30th as International Childhood Fitness Week. During this week, our FasTracKids centers will be hosting a variety of events on health, physical activities and nutrition as the first steps in creating healthy summer habits for children.
As Michelle Obama stated: “We believe every kid has the right to a healthy childhood. We can’t let this be the first generation in our history to grow up less healthy than their parents. The ingredients…better food + more activity…are clear. Let’s Move!”
Let’s give our children the tools they need to make healthy and happy choices, not only for the summer, but for the rest of their lives.
7 ways to keep your kids active this summer article
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