Your Health

Making time

Ensuring your child is physically active is as important as making sure they get their homework done. Talk to them about the importance of physical activity. Plan for it, identify barriers and be creative in finding ways to make time for it. Here are some tips:

Before and after school

Playtime: Ensure your children have opportunities for unstructured free play. Children learn motor and social skills, and develop creativity and intellectual capacities through play.

Reduce screen time: Replace "screen time" with playtime. Turning off the television, computers, video games and cell phones will free up time to play outdoors.

Join a team: Register your child in a sport program offered through your local community centre or other community group. In addition to the physical health benefits, children learn valuable social skills and teamwork from participation in sports.

To and from school

Active transportation: Although nearly 2/3 of Canadian families indicate that they live within a reasonable distance to walk or cycle to school, parents report that just over 1/3 of children report having walked to school and 80 per cent report never having cycled to school. Short on time? Cycling is faster than walking.

Walking school bus: Team up with other parents or older adults in your neighbourhood to walk kids in your area to school. Walking school buses provide safety in numbers. Check out resourceconservation.mb.ca for more information.

During the school day

Activate recess and lunch breaks: Send a ball, skipping rope or frisbee with your child to play with. It will increase their chances of having an active break.

Physical Education: Pay special attention to your child's class schedule and be sure they have the proper clothing and footwear for every Physical education class.

For more information

For more information about the Active Healthy Kids Canada and its annual report card, please visit activehealthykids.ca

For more information on the federal activity guidelines for children an youth, please click here.

For more information about Winnipeg in motion, please visit winnipeginmotion.ca

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	About Wave Wave is published six times a year by the Winnipeg Health Region in cooperation with the Winnipeg Free Press. It is available at newsstands, hospitals and clinics throughout Winnipeg, as well as McNally Robinson Books. Read the Fall 2009 issue of Wave