Getting your child in the game
By Fran Bellinger
We've all seen the headlines about childhood obesity. It's alarming and we must all work to solve the problem and make activity a lifelong habit. It can be easier than we think.
Whether kids are active and remain active into adulthood may have more to do with how highly their parents value their efforts than their actual performance on the field. Here are some tips to help children get into the habit of activity:
Even a child who sits on the bench can have a positive experience as long as he or she is with friends, building skills and having fun.
Each activity teaches skills that can make the next activity they try easier to learn and enjoy. This, in turn, builds confidence.
Skill building is particularly important for girls, who tend to already feel less athletically capable than boys when they enter first grade. As a bonus, when children are taught to persist long enough to master a skill, they are internalizing a lifelong attitude they will be able to apply to a variety of situations.
This column is provided through the Hawai'i State Teachers Association. Fran Bellinger is a health and physical education teacher at King Intermediate School.
