An important part of the learning experience
By Nicole Rogers, MPH, CHES
With children back in school, it is important for parents to understand the importance of providing after school fitness activities for their children.
Though opportunities for physical activity at school are changing this semester, with the passage of Senate Bill 530, after school fitness activities should be an important part of each student’s day. A child’s health is fundamental to his being able to function well at school. Not only will participating in activities that focus on physical fitness and nutritional education improve a child’s quality of life, but they also make the child better equipped to learn.
Parents can accept the responsibility for their children’s after school fitness by… Leading by example and becoming more physically active themselves.
Research shows that kids with overweight parents are more likely to be overweight, too. Parents can use the Internet to educate themselves and find ways to make after school fitness a fun family activity that kids will look forward to and enjoy.
Making sure that their kids have safe places to play that provide a high quality educational and fitness experience.
Much work is underway to enhance the quality of the fitness experience for children. For example, Youth InterACTIVE is a nonprofit youth social marketing organization that has become an innovator in making fitness activities and nutritional education more attractive to kids and their families. Based in Austin, Youth InterACTIVE inspires and empowers youth to drive positive trends in health, education and civic participation through digital art, music and technology in concert with fitness and nutrition-based programs. The Youth InterACTIVE philosophy is that once a child is physically healthy, he/she is better able to achieve in school and can get involved in his community. Youth InterACTIVE is working with school districts in San Antonio to meet their staff training needs, as well as develop partnerships with local youth-focused organizations for training and support needs. Locally, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio is a good example of a safe, high quality after school fitness environment for children. The YMCA offers after school child care at 63 sites throughout the city.
The after school program includes indoor and outdoor fitness activities, team-building sports, such as soccer and volleyball, problem-solving activities and activities involving music and movement. It also offers a nutritional component that focuses on the food pyramid and healthy snacks. All YMCA sites also have a league with sports including soccer, volleyball, tee-ball and flag football. Kids practice one night a week and play on Saturday.
Limiting screen time during after school hours.
Screen time activities include playing on the computer or with electronic game systems or watching television or movies. Encourage your kids to play an active game or play with a pet instead.
Making sure that their children receive 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.
If you don’t know how many minutes of exercise your child is getting in school each day, ask! If it isn’t at least a full 60 minutes, then you know more activity at home should be on your to-do lists.
For many years the American public has accepted that kids need to brush their teeth daily. Most parents teach their children to do this as toddlers, and it becomes a healthy behavior that continues throughout their lives. It’s time for us to help parents understand the importance of fitness and nutritional education for their children so that daily after school exercise becomes an integral part of growing up and lays the foundation for a lifetime commitment to fitness.
Nicole Rogers, MPH, CHES, is the executive director of the Health Collaborative, a cutting-edge, public-private model for solving community health issues. Partners include the major health systems in San Antonio, Metro Health, the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, Community First Health Plans, Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and a community representative. For more information, visit www.healthcollaborative.net.
