Fitness for kids who don't like sports

Team sports can boost kids' self-esteem, coordination, and general fitness, and help them learn how to work with other kids and adults.

But some kids aren't natural athletes and they may tell you — directly or indirectly — that they just don't like sports. What then?

Why Some Kids Don't Like Teams

Not every child has to join a team, and with enough other activities, kids can be fit without them. But try to find out why your child isn't interested. You might be able to help address deeper concerns or steer your child toward something else.

Tell your child that you'd like to work on a solution together. This might mean making changes and sticking with the team sport or finding a new activity to try.


Source: http://kidshealth.org

Fun Activity: Dog Ball Relay!*

Use your head and follow your nose to win.

This game is for 4 or more players and should be played in an open area on a soft surface.

To play, you need two balls and two teams. (Rubber playground balls work best.)

First, mark the end of your course, which should be about 15 feet long. (You could use empty soda bottles.)

Split into two even teams.

On the word "go," the first player of each team has to bark, get on her hands and knees and use her nose or forehead to roll the ball to the end of the course, around the marker and back.

When players get back to their team, they tag the next person in line. Every player must bark before they set off.

The first team to finish wins!

*pbskids.org

Eating Healthy. Growing Strong

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Academy of Pediatrics have joined with the best-selling children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to help families learn about healthy eating habits.


The Very Hungry Caterpillar eats many foods on his journey to becoming a butterfly. You can help your child on his or her own journey to grow up healthy and strong. To help you in this journey, we have created the following resources:

• Tips for Healthy Eating at Home Simple tips from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Academy of Pediatrics for eating healthy with your kids at home. 
• Reading Guide Discuss healthy active living using The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle!
• Growth Chart (PDF) Download a special The Very Hungry Caterpillar growth chart and keep track of your child’s journey to becoming healthy & strong.
• Learn more about the collaborators and the campaign. 
  Find out how this collaboration started and explore additional resources available for parents and healthcare professionals.

Fitness for Kids - Cross Over Relay

Cross Over Relay


Challenge your child to improve her fitness level by showing her how to play Cross Over Relay with a few of her friends. The game's combination of running and throwing helps her coordination and works her heart. Divide the group into two teams and designate a starting and goal line. Mark the goal line within throwing distance of the start. Ask the children to form a single file line behind the start. Yell, "Go," and watch as the first child in each line runs to her goal line while carrying a volleyball. As soon as she crosses the goal, tell her to turn around and throw the volleyball to her next teammate. Whichever team gets all its members to the goal line


Read more here.

Fun Fitness Game for Kids

Neuron Jump Rope

Jumping rope is more difficult than it looks. Working your legs and arms to jump and turn the rope at the same time is a good form of exercise. Give your child a jump rope and teach her to play Neuron Jump Rope. After she chants the following rhyme, count the number of times she jumps quickly without missing. Chant, "Neuron, neuron in my brain. How many neurons will I gain?" Have your child jump as fast as possible to see how many neurons she gets. Challenge her friends to a contest and see which child gets the highest score.

Read more here.

My Pyramid for Kids

Click here to take a close look at MyPyramid for Kids. MyPyramid for Kids reminds you to be physically active every day, or most days, and to make healthy food choices. Every part of the new symbol has a message for you. Can you figure it out?

Tips for Families: Eat Right & Play Hard!

Eat Right:

1. Make half your grains whole. Choose whole-grain foods, such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, and lowfat popcorn, more often.
2. Vary your veggies. Go dark green and orange with your vegetables—eat spinach, broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes.
3. Focus on fruits. Eat them at meals, and at snack time, too. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried, and go easy on the fruit juice.
4. Get your calcium-rich foods. To build strong bones serve lowfat and fat-free milk and other milk products several times a day.
5. Go lean with protein. Eat lean or lowfat meat, chicken, turkey, and fish. Also, change your tune with more dry beans and peas. Add chick peas, nuts, or seeds to a salad; pinto beans to a burrito; or kidney beans to soup.
6. Change your oil. We all need oil. Get yours from fish, nuts, and liquid oils such as corn, soybean, canola, and olive oil.
7. Don’t sugarcoat it. Choose foods and beverages that do not have sugar and caloric sweeteners as one of the first ingredients.

Exercise:

1. Set a good example. Be active and get your family to join you. Have fun together. Play with the kids or pets. Go for a walk, tumble in the leaves, or play catch.
2. Take the President’s Challenge as a family. Track your individual physical activities together and earn awards for active lifestyles at www.presidentschallenge.org.
3. Establish a routine. Set aside time each day as activity time— walk, jog, skate, cycle, or swim. Adults need at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week; children 60 minutes everyday or most days.
4. Have an activity party. Make the next birthday party centered on physical activity. Try backyard Olympics, or relay races. Have a bowling or skating party.
5. Set up a home gym. Use household items, such as canned foods, as weights. Stairs can substitute for stair machines.
6. Move it! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move. When you talk on the phone, lift weights or walk around. Remember to limit TV watching and computer time.
7. Give activity gifts. Give gifts that encourage physical activity—active games or sporting equipment.

Source: teamnutrition.usda.gov

Be A Fit Kid!

Fit Kids feel have lots of energy, and grow up healthy and strong. It's really easy - just 30 minutes a day! Fit Kids are physically active every day. It doesn't matter what you do, you just gotta move! Being a Fit Kid also means eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, so be sure to eat your fruits and vegetables, just like us.

What does physical activity do for my body?

• Gets lots of energy to your brain, so you can think clearly and do your best
• Running, walking, and biking keep your heart strong. A happy, healthy heart pumps blood and oxygen from your head to your toes. 
• Being active also gives your skin a healthy glow. 
• Being active outside and breathing all that fresh air keeps your lungs in perfect shape. 
• Physical activity build strong muscles and bones. It keeps you in shape and at a healthy weight. 

Fun Fitness Activities

• Play outside everyday
• Walking everyday with your families and friends is an easy way to be fit!
• Running and playing games like tag are great ways to get your body moving!
• It's so fun to hike with your friends and family.
• There are a bunch of ways to jump rope.
• Zip around your neighborhood on your bike. 
• Rollerblading is a blast!
• Ice skating is fun to do in the winter!
• Martial arts
• Gymnastics helps your balance, strengthens your muscles, and keeps your body flexible.
• Team sports like softball and baseball are fun to play. 
• The goal of soccer is to get outside and have fun!
• Playing basketball really keeps you moving!
• Ask a friend to hit a few tennis balls around with you.

Remember, it doesn't matter what you choose as long as you're active every day! Just wait until you see how great you'll feel!

Eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day keeps every part of your body healthy. 

Source: www.dole.com

Active Now, Slim Later

Vigorous Preschool Exercise = 4% Less Fat

If your five-year-old is always jumping, running, rolling about -- that hyperactivity could protect against excess weight many years down the line. Scientists at the University of Iowa measured activity and fat mass for 333 children at ages 5 and 11. Turned out that those most active at age 5 have 4% less fat mass at age 11, compared to the least active kids.

Why? It's possible the early activity prevented kids from growing too many fat cells. It's also possible that the vigorous exercise built up little muscles, which burn more calories than fat tissue. Super-active kids may spend less time in front of the TV, whereas those who watch more than three hours a day are 50% more likely to become obese as adults.

Parents should encourage active play year round. Don't let inclement weather stop you: Use ice/roller rinks and kids' gyms or video games that incorporate exercise. Preventing childhood obesity is important -- especially as it raises kids' risk of earaches, joint disorders, breathing constrictions and emotional distress. Beyond helping avoid unhealthy weight gain, exercise can improve academic performance: Researchers have found that the most physically-fit students tend to do better on state achievement tests. Learn more by visiting www.dolesuperkids.com.

Source: www.dole.com

Healthy Habits for TV, Video Games, and the Internet

No doubt about it — TV, interactive video games, and the Internet can be excellent sources of education and entertainment for kids. But too much screen time can have unhealthy side effects.

That's why it's wise to monitor and limit the time your child spends playing video games, watching TV, and playing games on the Internet.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that kids under age 2 have no screen time, and that kids older than 2 watch no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of quality programming.

It's also a good idea to make sure kids have a wide variety of free-time activities like reading, playing with friends, and sports, which can all play a vital part in helping them develop a healthy body and mind.

Click here for the full article and some practical ways to make kids' screen time more productive.

Source: kidshealth.org

Why Exercise is Cool!

Kids exercise all the time without even thinking of it. Just being active, like when you run around outside or play kickball at school, is a kind of exercise. What else counts as exercise? Playing sports, dancing, doing push-ups, and even reaching down to touch your toes.

When you exercise, you're helping build a strong body that will be able to move around and do all the stuff you need it to do. Try to be active every day and your body will thank you later!

Exercise Makes Your Heart Happy
You may know that your heart is a muscle. It works hard, pumping blood every day of your life. You can help this important muscle get stronger by doing aerobic (say: air-o-bik) exercise.

When you give your heart this kind of workout on a regular basis, your heart will get even better at its main job — delivering oxygen (in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.

Some aerobic exercises include swimming, basketball, jogging (or walking quickly), inline skating, soccer, cross-country skiing, or biking. And don't forget that skipping, jumping rope, and playing hopscotch are aerobic activities, too!

Exercise Strengthens Muscles
Another kind of exercise can help make your muscles stronger. Did you ever do a push-up or swing across the monkey bars at the playground? Those are exercises that can build strength. By using your muscles to do powerful things, you can make them stronger. For older teens and adults, this kind of workout can make muscles bigger, too.

Some exercises that strengthen muscles include push ups, pull ups, tug of war, running, skating, biking, and many more.

Exercise Makes You Flexible
Can you touch your toes easily without yelling ouch? Most kids are pretty flexible, which means that they can bend and stretch their bodies without much trouble. This kind of exercise often feels really good, like when you take a big stretch in the morning after waking up. Being flexible is having "full range of motion," which means you can move your arms and legs freely without feeling tightness or pain.

Some exercises to increase flexibility include tumbling and gymnastics, yoga, ballet, martial arts, simple stretches, and many more.

Exercise Makes You Feel Good
It feels good to have a strong, flexible body that can do all the activities you enjoy — like running, jumping, and playing with your friends. It's also fun to be good at something, like scoring a basket, hitting a home run, or perfecting a dive.

But you may not know that exercising can actually put you in a better mood. When you exercise, your brain releases a chemical called endorphins (say: en-dor-funz), which may make you feel happier. It's just another reason why exercise is cool!

Source: kidshealth.org

Fun Activity: Activity Tag

Materials
Activity Cards highlight activities like jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, and other basic exercises.

Number cards from 1-10 to add to the tasks students complete. (You can use a deck of cards if the jacks, queens, jokers, aces, and kings are removed.)

Directions Designate an “it” and give that person a stack of activity cards and the numbered cards. When they tag someone they give the tagged person an activity card and a number card. The person tagged is to perform the activity the number of times specified on the card. Once a child finishes the task, they may enter the game again.

You can designate a safety zone with a time limit so children can rest and be safe.

Race to Rally Hope!

Kids 1K – 8:00 a.m.
5K/10K – 8:30 a.m.
October 17th, 2010
North Point Village Shipping Center
Benefiting Kiddos’ Clubhouse Foundation

Kiddos’ Clubhouse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides scholarships to Georgia families who are not able to secure funding for therapeutic services and/or equipment for their children with special needs. Their mission is to shape better lives for children with special needs as they believe that all children deserve the opportunity to grow in healthy, productive adults.

• Awards will be given in 14 categories.
• All pre-registered participants receive a long sleeve T-shirt.
• Race to Rally Hope is a Peachtree Road Race Qualifier and is a Georgia Grand Prix race.

More information here: racetorallyhope.com

Fun Fitness Activity: Frantic Flying Disk!

Frantic flying disk is an easy fitness activity that will have kids running around for hours. Free your flying disk to sail to new heights!

What You'll Need:
* Flying disk (such as a Frisbee)
* Hula hoop

Tossing a flying disk with a friend or a dog is a great way to keep fit... and it's fun to do all by yourself!

How to Play Frantic Flying Disk:

Step 1: See how easy (or how hard) it is to send your flying disk sailing through a hula hoop from five paces away.
Step 2: Too easy? Move back 10 paces from the hoop. Still not tough enough? Try it from 16 paces away.

This game makes a great competition between friends or whole teams.

tlc.com

Good Nutrition Relay Race

Good Nutrition Relay Race

Materials:
Pictures or plastic models of foods from the food pyramid
Masking Tape

Directions:

Take masking tape and make a diagram of the pyramid. Discuss the food pyramid and explain what types of food go into each category. Divide children into two teams. Children in each team take a turn picking a food picture and placing it in the correct area of the pyramid before returning to tag the next person in line. Have someone stand by the pyramid and help students who are having trouble with identifying food.

Fitness Game: All Hands on Deck

Establish three areas: one side of the play space is a ship; the opposite side is the shore; in between is a marked area called the deck. One person is the Captain who barks the orders. "All hands on deck!" means all must run to the deck and sit down. "Attention!" means all must stand in military style. "Salute!" means all salute in unison. "All hands on ship!"-all run to the ship side. "All hands ashore!"-all run to the shore side.

Fun Activity: Bubbles!

Divide children into small groups of three. Each group joins hands and becomes a small bubble. They blow together and take off floating around the room. They can avoid contact with other Bubbles, float around with eyes closed, or touch and join into a large bubble. In the end one giant bubble collapses to the floor with one loud "POP!"

Preventing Heat Illness

• Teach kids to always drink plenty of fluids before and during an activity in hot, sunny weather — even if they're not thirsty.
• Make sure kids wear light-colored, loose clothing.
• Make sure your kids only participate in heavy activity outdoors before noon and after 6 PM.
• Teach kids to come indoors immediately whenever they feel overheated.
  
  
  

kidshealth.org

Activity - Elbow Tag!

Pairs of children who are linked together arm in arm at the elbow are safe. In this variant of tag, when a third child joins the pair by linking to an available arm, the person on the opposite arm must escape to find a new partner before being tagged.

Fun Activity: Crab Walk Relay!*

Feeling crabby? Start walking!

This game is for 4 or more players, and should be played outside or in an open area on a safe surface.

To play, form 2 even teams.

The first players on each team get into crab walk position-on their hands and feet with their stomachs pointed toward the sky-and then put a shoe on their stomachs.

On "go," they have to crab walk forwards from the starting line to the end of the playing field. Then, they have to return to the starting line crab walking backwards.

Then the next person in line goes.

The first team to finish wins!

*pbskids.org