Fitness and Your 6- to 12-year-old

Kids who are 6 to 12 years old need physical activity to build strength, coordination, confidence, and to lay the groundwork for a healthy lifestyle down the road. It's also a time when kids gain more control over how active they are.

So it's important to give your school-age child as many opportunities as possible to be active, and to make sure your child is involved in a variety of activities, sports, and games that are a good fit for his or her personality, ability, age and interests. Brainstorm together and let your child choose the activities that feels right. Typically kids won't mind a daily dose of fitness, as long as it's fun.

The National Association for Sports and Physical Education recommends that school age children:

• get 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day
• accumulate activity throughout the day which can broken down into bouts of 15 minutes or more
• avoid periods of inactivity of 2 hours or more

Fitness at Home

Many parents and kids think of organized sports when they think of fitness. Though there are many advantages to signing your child up for the softball team, practice and games once or twice a week will not be enough to reach activity goals. In addition, parents can no longer rely on physical education in the schools to provide enough physical activity for children.
There are many ways you can keep your kids moving at home.

• Incorporate physical activity into the daily routine. From household chores to an after dinner walk, keep your family active every day.
• Allow enough time for free play. Kids can burn more calories and have more fun when left to their own devices. Playing tag, riding bikes around the neighborhood, and building snowmen are some favorite childhood pastimes.
• Keep a variety of games and sports equipment on hand. It doesn't have to be expensive - an assortment of balls, hula-hoops, and jump ropes can keep kids busy for hours.
• Be active together. It'll get you moving and kids love to play with their parents.
• Limit time spent in sedentary activities, such as watching TV, going online, and playing video games.

When you have exhausted the possibilities at home, take advantage of local playgrounds and athletic fields. Make family fitness outings part of your regular routine. Let family members choose an activity - go hiking, ice skating, or try-out the rock-climbing gym. Anything goes, as long as everyone can participate.

Part of helping your child commit to fitness includes being a positive role model by showing your child that exercise is important by regularly exercising on yourself.

Fitness for My Child

As you're thinking about your child's fitness, it's important to keep in mind your child's age and developmental level, natural abilities, and interests. Through physical activities, kids can learn about setting goals, meeting challenges, sportsmanship, teamwork, and the value of practice.