Resources for Parents to Help their Children be Active

Recent years have seen vast cutbacks in budget money for school programs, including physical education. Studies have shown the physical, psychological and emotional benefits of sixty minutes of daily exercise for children.


School nutritional programs may also be suffering from budget restrictions, making it even more important to ensure that you are providing your child with a healthy breakfast and dinner.


Even during a sixty minute PE class, after changing and preparation, children may only get thirty minutes of exercise. It is important for parents to ensure that their child is getting the physical activity and proper nutrition they need to grow into active, healthy and happy adults.


There are many resources for parents to help their children be active and eat nutritious foods.


The Unites States Department of Agriculture: Provides people with the basic information needed to plan a healthy, well balanced nutritional plan. The food pyramid shows the proper amounts of each of the different food groups your child needs.




The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: This organization provides a thirty-six page manual on physical fitness for children, adolescents and teens. The President’s Challenge helps parents and children plan activities and join groups to improve their physical fitness, as well as reward and incentive programs for kids.



The American Heart Association: The AHA provides advice on keeping your child active, as well as potential pitfalls caused by inactivity. Their library of articles provides a wide variety of information on diseases caused by obesity and inactivity in children and suggests how to avoid them.



The Center for Disease Control and Prevention: The CDC’s website is very kid-friendly and provides answers to many childhood fitness related questions.



The Mayo Clinic: Has a variety of suggestions on how to keep your children active and is an excellent resource for parents.



There are a wide variety of resources for parents to utilize to help their children be healthy. It is important that parents take an active role in their child’s physical and nutritional health. No one will care as much as you!



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