How to Get Kids Moving & Exercising

Vibrant Life, May, 2000 by Victor M. Parachin

* Chicken Fat: Youth Fitness Video--15 minutes. Five- to 10-year-olds do calisthenics in a park and on a pier. Dave, the male instructor, repeats the six-minute routine twice. He uses rhyming phrases in the speaking parts to educate kids on drinking water, wearing comfortable shoes, deep breathing, and more.

* Fun House Fitness--47 minutes. Although rated for children ages 7 and up, this video is very similar to an adult class. Two enthusiastic adults, Laurel and J.D., backed up by young teens who lead a 41-minute routine. It begins with a warm-up and has high-impact aerobics alternating with intervals of toning. The video ends with a fast obstacle course run and cooldown. The music has a monotonous beat. The set looks like a children's playland and includes video clips of kids performing silly stunts. I don't recommend the video for young children, because of their immature coordination and short attention span.

* There is also an excellent series of books by Arnold Schwarzenegger on fitness for children (published by Doubleday and available at libraries or bookstores). Divided by age group, birth-5, 6-10, 11-14, they emphasize family and school fitness. They feature black-and-white photos of Arnold exercising in classrooms, ink drawings, and stories of his childhood. The emphasis is on age-appropriate home and family fitness with ideas to do at home starting at birth. Motor skills milestones appear throughout the books. They contain information on nutrition, organized sports, and camps/community programs. These comprehensive books are anatomically and physiologically accurate, stressing that parents are the best example for lifetime fitness.

Whether it is with a video or some ideas from a book, get moving with your children. It's rewarding, fun, and healthy!

Anita Goldman Homing lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and enjoys fitness with her husband and two children.

Victor M. Parachin is a writer who resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma.