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Give your child a healthy life by encouraging exercise, modeling healthy habits, and participating in physical activities together. 

According to the American Heart Association, children are far less fit today than they were a generation ago.  Childhood obesity, high cholesterol, and early symptoms of cardiovascular disease are also on the rise.  All of these can be combated easily through regular physical activity.  Physical activity helps keep children’s bodies and minds growing strong and healthy.  Also, children who are active when they are young are more likely to keep it up as they get older.

There are many things you can do as a parent to encourage an active, healthy lifestyle for your child. One great way to help your child become active is to be active yourself.  If you are active, your child is more likely to want to be involved in physical play, sports, or other activities.  Active games are also a great way for you to spend quality time with your child while encouraging healthy behavior. 

Why do children need physical activity?
Physical activity in children has been shown to:

• strengthen bones
  
• improve hand-eye coordination
  
• increase muscle strength
  
• improve self-esteem and self-confidence
  
• decrease anxiety and stress
  
• promote learning and lifelong healthy habits 
  
• reduce the risk of obesity
  
• lessen the likelihood of using tobacco products

Physically active lifestyles also have the long-term effects of:

• reducing hypertension and the risk of cardiovascular disease
  
• preventing osteoporosis
  
• reducing the risk of breast cancer and diabetes

Physical play is important because:

• Playing gives children time to practice new skills. 
  
• It allows children to relax and try out new abilities.
  
• It encourages exploration.
  
• Playing develops muscles and bones.
  
• It involves social interaction.
  
• It can be a bonding experience between you and your child.

How can you encourage fun, safe physical play?

Make sure your child has a safe place to play.  Give your child plenty of space to move around where there are no objects that will hurt if bumped or knocked down.  Let your child play with objects that can be held, carried, pushed, and moved from one place to another. Also, since your child needs to build many different physical skills, play several activities that focus on different muscle groups (upper body and lower body) and different types of movements (big movements like kicking and small movements like drawing).  But most of all, have fun with it!

There are many ways you can encourage your child to become physically active, from going on walks together to enrolling your child in a team sport.  For a list of age-appropriate physical activities, see Developmental Milestones.

For more information on why physical activity is so important for your child, visit the American Heart Association web site. The National Parent Information Network also has a list of Healthy and Fit Activities for you to play with your child, from fun stretches and calisthenics for kids to quieter, more thoughtful games for you and your child.

Raising an Active Child: 6 Steps, an article by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research gives six easy steps to making physical activity a fun and integral part of your child’s daily routine.