This Christmas, give your kids some action
By Shari Roan
Los Angeles Times
With 15 percent of U.S. children overweight, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this holiday shopping season — with the DVDs, CDs and video games that usually appear under the Christmas tree — may be fostering the same kind of guilt in parents as they experience at the fast-food drive-through.
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But unplugging the TV and putting roller skates under the Christmas tree won't necessarily set your child on the path to fitness, says Alan Smith, a professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue University. "If you provide them with the means to be active, that should be helpful," he says. "But it won't guarantee anything."
6 1/2-year-old Jay Murphy of Honolulu stays active in many sports. He has played soccer and T-ball and has practiced karate. Next year, he expects to play flag football and get back into soccer. Every day he and his friends in Halsey Terrace play on the Jungle Gym he received for his birthday.
Smith's research, as well as other studies, suggests that the amount of physical activity a child gets has more to do with the people — not the things — surrounding the child. "Parents can serve as role models for their kids," he says. "So, arguably, you should be doing things with your kids. If you tell your kids, 'Hey, you should be active,' and you're inside watching TV, you look like a hypocrite."
Experts aren't sure how much parents can influence their kids' physical activity based on what gifts they choose for holidays, birthdays or other occasions, but there are some guidelines.
Toddlers and young children, for example, are bursting with energy and typically don't need to be convinced to run around. Gifts that help build strength and coordination, such as bikes and balls, can help establish a habit of physical activity for younger children, experts say.
From age 9 to 13, the so-called "tween" years, when children tend to become more sedentary, parents can have a major influence on kids' fitness, Collins says. "Kids at this age still want to spend time with their parents and have their attention," she says. "If the parent will play with the child, toss a Frisbee with them, the child will enjoy it more."
Studies show that by the teen years, it may be tough to motivate sedentary kids. Exercise equipment, a gym membership or outdoors recreational gear might get teens moving, experts say.
Collins urges parents to think creatively when shopping for gifts.
If your child doesn't enjoy traditional sports, such as basketball and soccer, then don't go there. Buy a music CD that will encourage dancing, such as hip-hop, which is popular with many kids, she suggests. Or select inexpensive outdoor toys that will involve family and friends in the activity.
Dr. Naomi Neufeld, a Los Angeles pediatric endocrinologist, recalls asking one patient, a boy who had lost a lot of weight, what he was doing for exercise.
"He said he found a pogo stick at a garage sale, and he thought it was the most amazing thing," she said. "There are these odd and quirky toys that maybe it's time for us to rediscover."
The holidays, in fact, "are the perfect time to focus on fitness and relationships," says Neufeld, medical director of KidShape, a weight-management program with locations in Los Angeles and elsewhere. "Look for things that your child is already doing that they seem to have developed a fancy for," she suggests.
For example, a family might purchase snorkeling gear for holiday gifts. Kids who enjoyed a recent camping or hiking trip may enjoy receiving a compass, hiking boots or a disposable camera for their next outing.
Remember that most kids' wish lists reflect toys that have been suggested to them by advertisers, Neufeld says. "The way children choose what they want for Christmas is absolutely amazing to me," she says. "It's based on what they see on television. Advertising bypasses parents and goes directly to kids."
Parents also might want to check out the December issue of Consumer Reports, which published a buying guide on toys that get kids moving.
The magazine, published by Consumers Union, rated several fitness gift ideas as "very good" choices. These included the BeamO Flying Hoop, a $25 lightweight hoop that flies like a large Frisbee (several similar lightweight flying hoops and discs are on the market); the Balance Board 510, a $60, seesaw-like wooden board atop a rolling cylinder that requires coordination; and the $20 Dart Ball 50055, a game that uses tennis balls and a Velcro-covered dart board.
