Do Kids Need to Exercise?

For little kids life is a ball, literally. Their job is to play and they space it out with school- work. As a child, playing games teaches them freedom of expression, gives them a sense of worth and provides an opportunity to deal with a plethora of emotions: elation associated with winning, disappointment on losing, team spirit, camaraderie and just the joy of playing with and against other kids. That's why kids, especially between the ages of 12-16, don't really need to exercise like adults do because their daily routine involves physical activity in different hues and amounts.

But where they, the school and as parents you go wrong is when this play lessens as they get older. As pressures of tests and exams mount, it's playtime that takes a backseat. However, this should not be the case. Kids should be made aware of the importance of including some amount of physical activity that will continue to run all through their lives. This must be inculcated in them right from the start. The problem starts once the growth spurts settle down, when unspent calories begin to add up and when incorrect habits become a part of the lifestyle. It does not take a "Eureka" to realise that this is one of the gifts you can leave for our children.

Barriers to this utopia

There is a certain mindset that hampers this imbibing. On the one hand, most schools and homes, disregard the child's interest in sports and related activities. Their focus is on pure academics, which they believe will hold them in higher stead. Granted that this is true to some extent, but there has to be a balance inculcated right from the beginning. On the other hand, a misconception most likely made is that brawn and brain do not have their place together. But this is something you can change in our children. Psychologists have recently added sports acumen to be considered as an important component of intelligence.

What can be done

Parents can make up for this lapse by ensuring that play should be a part of their child's everyday life. So be it tennis in the neighborhood, cricket in the building, squash at the sports arena, swimming at the local club or just a game of gulli danda, encourage them to partake of it in good spirit. Parents should also recognise signs of latent talent in their kids and take that extra effort to cultivate and hone those skills. It will add another feather in your child's cap. So if it means driving miles to take them to attend a coaching class, in the long run it may just be worth the while.

Also this should be done in as subtle a manner as possible. Because the minute there is too much pressure from the parent's end without the same enthusiasm from the child, the child loses interest. Parents must also keep in mind that each child is different and should not be compared either with a sibling or friend or cousin, or for that matter, with the child's own previous performance. Neither should their faults be highlighted. The idea is to allow the child to go through the experience itself whatever may be the outcome. The aim of the game is not only in the winning but also in the participation!

Some parents also ask if their child should attend a gymnasium at such a young age. My feeling is that even though there are a lot of kids these days who visit gyms because it's hip, you can find more innovative ideas that will take care of your child's physical activity needs. It is also advisable to allow full physical growth to take its natural course and then start a weight-training program. In the case of very obese children, a simple brisk walk everyday should be able to do the trick, along with sensible diet plans to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients.

To wrap up, as parents you need to balance play and work in your child's life equally to ensure that your child is not only endowed with brains but also an equal measure of brawn.