Playtime is the Best Exercise for Kids
As a little girl, I remember feeling that summertime was a magical time of year! I remember building huts underneath the trampoline, making sandcastles in the sandbox, and collecting a farm of rollie pollies to be my pets. As often as I could, I was outside having fun.
Now that I’m all grown up, and have two kids of my own, I am seeing the magical days of summer from a different perspective. I’ve noticed that this generation of children doesn’t care to be outside during the summer months, quite as much as we did growing up. They would much rather stay indoors watching cartoons, playing video games or sitting at the computer.
The statistics of how much time children spend sitting in front of the TV these days is quite disturbing. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average child watches four hours of TV each day. In addition to that, this study confirmed that a child’s risk of being overweight increased by six percent for every hour of television watched per day. And if that child had a TV in his or her bedroom, the odds of being overweight jumped an additional thirty-one percent for every hour watched.
I know we can do better than that! In fact, we need to do better than that! As parents, it is our responsibility to make sure that kids are up and active, using their imaginations, having fun outside in the fresh air, while they exercise their body by playing.
If putting limits on the TV just causes arguments and unhappy feelings, I have found that the simplest way to cut back on TV time is by cancelling the channels that my kids want to watch. I know that may sound harsh, but kids are extremely resilient to change. They will quickly forget about the shows they are missing because they’ll be so busy having fun and using their imaginations. In fact, it may be a new and exhilarating experience for them! I recently cancelled our cable TV… and believe it or not, I have only heard one complaint about not having more channels on TV, and my kids have been having the time of their life outside playing during the summer days!
So be proactive this summer about your child’s health. Limit TV watching, video games and the amount of time they spend sitting. Do it, not only for the physical benefits it will provide them, but for the way it will encourage their minds to think and grow!
Encourage your kids to get outside and have fun this summer! In fact, why don’t you join them by turning off the computer, letting your hair down and being fun and silly with them! Not only will your body thank you, but your mind will too. A little imagination, a lot of fresh air and loads of fun are just the ingredients you need to experience a magical and memorable summer… not to mention, a healthy one as well!
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4 Responses to “Playtime is the Best Exercise for Kids”
Shannon
June 16th, 2009
DITO DITTO DITTO- I so Agree with you 100%. the funniest part about this topic is-MACIE… my 6 year old…. learned “exercise” for P.E. this year…. so she LITERRALLY does her “work-out” to “make me healthy mom!” it consists of
jumping jacks, “pea pickers (kinda bending over and touching the ground 3 times, comeing up and clapping) and she walks around the house doing the next one..”break the chain ONE, break the chain 2, etc..” that is a upper body-something-or-other… lol
i NEVER discourage, and i am a HUGE one on LIMITING all the technology. it helps that i DON’T have a cell phone. so she see’s me actually “mothering her and her sister, and doing house hold chores, and etc..” i think kids pick up the habits you set an example for… i could be crazy- but i do my best to good example on the “priorities”…. hugs girly-
you always have such interesting stuff you write about!
annie
June 24th, 2009
Liz, I LOVE your blog! You are so amazing, and so right! My 16 mo. old sometimes needs urging to go outside, but he’s always happy to be out in the fresh air. He loves to hike with mommy and his little dog, Chacha! I usually carry him in a baby backpack. 
Hugs,
Jen
Jennifer Aragon Peyton
June 25th, 2009
Such a good reminder! It has been fun to catch up on your blog -
Emilie
June 26th, 2009
My boys love being outside and sometimes I have to tell myself we are going out for them, but I always feel better when we do. We procrastinated or avoided transitioning our tv so now it’s just for movies, no cable or anything. It’s great. Now I have to learn to limit my internet time….