Exercise Ideas for Weight Management in Healthy Children
Nancy McDaniel M.D.
You can help your overweight child to better manage his/her weight by encouraging increased physical activity! The following are some suggestions for making sure that a child gets plenty of physical activity:
- Do not carry a child that can walk.
- Provide a safe environment for children, which allows them to run and play without confinement.
- Encourage children to play outdoors all year long. Good outdoor activities, some of which require adult supervision, are:
- Playing with balls
- Jumping rope/games of tag
- Swimming
- Sledding
- Bicycling
- Walk with children instead of driving when you go anywhere within walking distance.
- Play with children whenever possible to encourage a fondness for activity.
- Encourage kids to play with other youngsters. Running, jumping, and dancing are all good group activities.
- Encourage your child to become involved in some organized sports activity throughout the year such as: soccer, basketball, T-ball or Little League, swim team, gymnastics, ballet or other dance class
- Limit the amount of televison you child watches to no more than 1-2 hours per day.
- If you own a dog and your child is old enough, make your child responsible for walking it.
Activities Preschoolers Enjoy
- Running in place, doing jumping jacks, throwing and catching balls
- Pushing, pulling, riding and loading using wagons, tricycles, carriages, pull-toys etc.
- Rocking, swinging, sliding on playground equipment.
Remember always to supervise young children so they can play in sand, snow, or water safely!
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