Activities That Foster a Young Child's Understanding of the Importance of Physical Activities

Pass the Beans

• Have a group of kids sit in a circle and pass the first child a bean bag. When she touches the bean bag, she must name a person who wants her to eat healthfully and be active. Let the kids toss it back and forth around the circle, naming people. When the group has been through mommy and daddy, nudge them toward naming other family members, day care providers or teachers, if needed. When the game finishes, get the kids thinking about the who's and why's. Who gives them the most support and how? What games do they like to play to get active? Why do others encourage them to keep active? See if the kids can answer those questions and then finish up by having them draw a picture of their favorite activity to perform.

Physical Activity Defined

• Younger children might not fully grasp what physical activity is and why it's important. Get a pile of magazines, safety scissors, glue and a large piece of cardboard ready so your child can make an exercise collage. Let him flip through the magazines and pick physical activities that he thinks will be fun. Too make it more challenging, have him make a pile of pictures for things he enjoys doing and a pile for activities he'd like to try. He can use a nontoxic school glue to stick his pictures to the cardboard. If his schedule permits, consider letting him choose one activity a week that you can try as a family.

Building Blocks of Health

• Explain to your child that exercise helps muscles get stronger and helps her grow. Show her how important it is to have strong muscles. Gather a pile of building blocks and a few straws. Hold up a straw and a block as you explain how physical activity builds strong muscles. Ask her which looks like a strong muscle, the straw or the block. With luck, she'll choose the block. Tell her that strong muscles can help us lift a lot of stuff and support us when we play and have her build a small building out of the blocks. Now show her what happens when your muscles are weak, like straws. Have her try to build a tower using a few standing straws as the foundation.

Picture Perfect Reasons

• Help your child understand that exercise helps her develop more than just a healthy, strong body. It can also relieve stress, help with sleep and improve the way she thinks. You can highlight the benefits of exercise as you look through magazines or newspapers by finding a picture that matches the benefit, such as a sleeping person for improving sleep. Using a nontoxic school glue, have your child glue each picture onto a stiff piece of paper or cardboard. After you've finished, flip the cards over so the pictures don't show. Have her flip cards back and name the benefit shown on the card.