Lecturette 1

                                               How To Keep Kids Healthy And Moving
When you children playing what do you think? Do you see them learning and moving? When I see kids playing a tag game or other games like that I see much more than that. There are learning and moving and talking to each other. I think is is a growing problem with our kids. We have a very high percent of kids that are now over weight. They don't know how to be healthy and make good choices. Like to eat fruits and veggies instead of chips and cookies. I'm not saying don't eat chips and cookies and candy, but give the kids a choice and talk to them about the differences. I think the same thing about kids and playing outside. Kids need to know how important it is to play outside and just move around instead of sitting in front of the TV.

 At our center we have a CD that is called I am Moving I am Learning. It has a bunch of high beat songs on it, so it makes you want to dance to it. They are also very fun to do with the kids and they love the songs and the dances/ moves. A big part of the songs are about fruits and veggies and how to pick a healthy snack. It gets them dancing and moving that the best part. We have another CD that is great that teaches kids to jump and skip and march. This helps get there engine out and  they are exercising. They are also learning how to move with out hitting each other. About there space and how to move in it. This really helps us in the winter when we cant get out as much because it is to cold out. It is really good for our parents to try it at home for when the kids cant get outside. It is a fun group dance.



I don't think so of the parents to day know how important being healthy is.Not only for the kids but them was well. So if you can get outside for just a little bit it is better than just sitting watching TV. People don't go outside and play or go for a walk or play tag. When I see kids outside I think about how much they are getting from just being outside. They are getting there exercising in and if they are playing with someone there are communicating to each other. If they are building something they are using there fine motor skills. I think it is very important  for the parents to do the exercising with the kids. To also talk to them about how they are making a healthy choice. By just playing outside something there like to do.



Another part of being healthy if the eating part. Kids need to know how to make a healthy snack and how important it is. Kid don't know how to eat healthy they need to be tough  how to. If you give them more fruits and veggies than they will pick them over chips and other sweets. We work with our parents on how to make fun healthy snacks with there kids. Like to have the kids cut a banana or peel it. We have found that the kids are more likely to try new fruits and veggies if they help make it, like help cleaning it or cutting it things like that. We like to do a lot of food projects with the kids and our families. They seem to enjoy it to.

I think if we can help the parents first than we can help the kids learn to make healthy choices. I think it is great to get the kids outside and any kid of moving. The kids like to dances so its not exercising to them it's fun for them. That is way I think our CD are great for our families, Because who does not like to dance. The next time you see kids playing I hope you see much more than them just playing.  Like them exercising or talking to each other, learning there space. how to move and march skip the list goes on and on. We hope to get our kid up and moving around and being healthier.