Our Lifestyle Choices Teach Kids to be Active or Inactive
Anyone who has more than one child or who has spent time around multiple children at once knows that each child is unique and different in so many ways they could never be counted. This is also true of activity level. Some kids have more energy and more drive to move than other kids. We have five children and four of them were adamant about walking as soon as they knew how. Once they could walk they were never content to sit in a stroller. The other child, however, would probably sit in a stroller until she was ten if we let her. Same household. Same parenting. Different kid.
Education is considered such a critical part of childhood that it's easy to fall into the trap of only focusing on things that can be measured. This is understandable but let's also remember that the things we can't count, still count - and those intangibles are often more indicative of lifelong health and vitality than grades and test scores. Education has never been limited to a classroom with four walls. So while we are portioning a certain amount of childhood time to seat work let's keep in mind that childhood is also a time where we are training the bodies of young children either to be active or inactive.
A child who is bent towards laying around may need to be pushed a little to get up and move. We can be creative about this. Family activities outside such as throwing a frisbee, kicking a soccer ball, and playing catch are easy ways to get a kid up and moving while simultaneously promoting a sense of togetherness. Family hikes happen to be our activity of choice because once you're out on the trail you have to finish - there are no other options. Even kids who don't have the greatest stamina will find a hike goes by quickly because there are so many things to observe and touch. Adding a few elements to the yard like a mud kitchen or climbing equipment might entice a more sedentary child to head outside. Invite a few neighborhood kids over and there will assuredly be a lot of movement. Consistency is key, as screen time is happening almost daily in homes across the world.
Active children can easily learn to be inactive as well and this is something we must guard against. 75% of toys debuting this year will have some sort of micro-chip. Toy manufacturers and advertisers consider children to be a niche market and they spend millions of dollars each year to ensure that their toys will dazzle the child. Most video games are specifically designed to have an addictive quality and "Age Compression" is a new phenomenon where toy manufacturers create sophisticated, adult-like toys that are targeted to children. There are lots of forces at work that could easily draw your active child down an inactive path. Much of the time children used to spend playing outdoors is now given to screen play. A child can so quickly forget that exhilarating feeling of body movement, fresh air in the lungs, and sunlight entering the eyes.
A way to guard against the training of the active child to become inactive and vice versa is to pay close attention to how much time your kids are outside. The benefits are innumerable but it's easy to forget them or let them fall to the back burner. As a family, we never regret any of our outside experiences. They are memorable, bonding, fun and healthy! Each experience helps train our children to remain active in a world that pressures them to sit around.
