That's Fit

For kids' sakes, parents need to answer the nationwide Help Wanted ad for Gaming Gatekeepers -- now. This is especially relevant for our family at the moment, based on watching my seven-year-old's new, disturbing behavior after receiving his very first, high-tech video game a month ago. If he could, he'd play it for hours on end, forsaking active indoor and outside imaginary play with neighborhood friends. He's not alone, new research reveals video games are ubiquitous these days -- 99 percent of boys and 94 percent of girls aged 12 to 17 are gamers. A comparison of studies suggests an American child is about three times more likely to play a video game than ride a bike.

So my husband and I have answered the call, accepting Gaming Gatekeeper positions in the interest of our son's (and daughter's) health. We have seriously limited total screen time in front of both that Star Wars PC-compatible video game and the TV -- no more than two hours per day, usually less. We're manning the gamer gate to keep their bodies and minds within a three-dimensional, active world versus sitting numbly for hours interacting with a flat screen. Each day we try not to call in sick, take a personal day or sleep on the job. Yes, healthier eating habits will chip away at our nation's childhood obesity problem, but I think the lack of physical activity nowadays compared to the Pre-Home Video Game Era is a major factor in rising obesity.

Kids are not churning their legs enough on bicycles, running the backyards or zipping up and down stairs pretending to climb mountains. Instead, they're all thumbs. It's time adults limit screen time and get kids moving again. Here are a few good ideas to get you started. Stay tuned -- I'll soon share creative ways to hurdle even more barriers to outdoor play.

It's not necessarily rain, sleet and snow that keep children off the playground and inside child-care centers, says one new study. After researchers held focus groups with 49 child-care center staff across 34 diverse centers, a few surprises emerged. Staff identified several previously unreported barriers to child-care kids' outdoor play, such as:

• Flip flops/No coat: If one child wears inappropriate flip flops or a parent does not pack a winter coat, some centers kept their entire class inside. Staff even reported some parents intentionally keep their child's coat because they don't want their child to get dirty, injured or a cold virus to worsen. I figure the decision to keep the entire class indoors is due to lack of staff, but the article did not clarify.
• Focus on Cognitive Skills: Some parents stress more time for the ABCs than gross motor skills such as kickball and swinging on the monkey bars.
• Mulch: You'd think mulch would enhance outdoor play, but it can be a barrier, too. Staff reported kids eat mulch, throw it at peers, it gets caught in between toes. Mulch also requires regular maintenance.
• Staff: Some staff irresponsibly chat or text on their cell phones while outside, others simply don't want to go out in the cold or make the effort to put on/take off kids' coats. Some overweight staff admitted their weight dampened their desire to inspire children's physical play.

As ridiculous as these barriers are, they are real, and identifying them is a first step to facilitate change. Unfortunately, child-care kids aren't the only ones inside. As our nation's childhood obesity rates continue to tick upward, many of today's children are spending more time indoors than in the sandbox, playing at the park and riding their bikes around the neighborhood. My husband and I have tried to address the problem by keeping computers and televisions out of our kids' rooms, and they're only allowed so much TV and computer time per day. During non-school hours I do my best to slide away from the computer and choose gardening, lawn work and walks to the park instead. The result is magical -- the kids go outside ... and play.

I wish I knew where I picked up this tip, so I could credit the wise person who thought of it. If your kids spend a lot of time outside in the winter, then you've heard their complaints about cold wrists -- that pesky gap between jacket sleeve and mitten or glove. Try this:

Take an old pair of knee high socks and cut the toes out, as well as a small hole in the side for the thumb. Essentially, you've made a cheap pair of fingerless gloves. Have your child put them on before their don their jacket, pulling the sock up to the elbow. Then add mittens. No more cold wrists!

The idea has worked like a charm at my house, and extends out outdoor playtime significantly.

I got chewed out yesterday, for not sending my preschooler to school with snow pants. Not by the teacher, mind you, but by the preschooler. Apparently, without snow pants, she wasn't allowed to make snow angels.

"I didn't know!" I told her. "I didn't know you'd go outside!"

"Mama," she said. "We go outside every day. I need those snow pants!" Lesson learned.

It's one of the things that I love best about her school -- every day, sun or snow, the kids get taken outside to play. They also have gym once a week. Despite the fact that the kids are there for less than 3 hours every day, they make physical activity a priority.

A recent study found that kids don't need fancy outdoor equipment to be active. In fact, simple toys like balls, hula hoops, or a jump rope will get them moving just as easily. This is good news for early childhood centers who don't have a lot of room in the budget for outdoor play. Kids need to move, and if they're allowed to, they will.