2. You seem to read things in the paper on
online every day about the issue of obesity
and how we, as a nation, are getting fatter
and unhealthier, starting in early childhood.
3. How do you go about ensuring that your child
won’t have health problems later in life or go
through the misery of being teased at school
because of their weight?
4. This is a good place to point out that teasing
and name-calling is one of the things we are
really against here at Friday’s Child
Montessori.
5. This sort of thing goes right against the
Montessori principle of courtesy and being a
good citizen, and the teachers are alert for
any sort of bullying going on.
6. If you think that your child is having a problem in this
area – either as the bully or as the victim – please let
us know.
7. But back to weight issues. One of the reasons
that we’re seeing this increase in childhood
obesity throughout the Western world is
because children are less active than they
used to be.
8. The other reason is the prevalence of fast
food and processed food.
9. A lot of things are to
blame for the
reduction in activity
that seems to be
going on. Sometimes,
it’s a matter of space.
Gardens are getting
smaller while houses
are getting bigger
10. What can you do to help your children become
active enough to stay healthy?
11. All children really need is
opportunity. However, the secret is to
provide opportunities for activity that aren’t
likely to cause havoc and destruction – and
aren’t just before bedtime or when you want a
bit of peace and quiet.
12. The other thing to bear in mind is that you will
need to get involved in some of these
activities. This will probably do you some
good and help your fitness level as well!
13. Try the following ways of encouraging your
child to enjoy active play and activity in
general:
14. Outdoor play equipment.
If you have a small amount of
space, provide some form of
outdoor play equipment.
15. Outdoor play equipment doesn’t have to be
expensive, either. A chalk hopscotch figure
that’s the right size for your child and a
couple of old tyres to climb plus a ball or two
is enough.
16. Let children go outside when
it’s raining.
Sure, you don’t want your precious child to freeze
or catch hypothermia, but the chances of that
happening here on the Gold Coast are pretty
slim. So let children run around outside a bit on
rainy days, even if they get muddy.
17. Dance.
Arrange your living room
and/or your child’s
bedroom so he or she can
have the fun of moving to
music.
21. Go for a walk. Weekend activity doesn’t have
to involve organised sports clubs – doing it
free range is just as good and just as fun.
22. Romp and roughhouse with
small children.
This seems to be something that dads tend
to be very good at – play wrestling and
general clowning around.
23. You need to have a clear space in the living
room for this to take place, and you’ll need to
set boundaries
24. Pillow fights fall into this category, or you
can have battles with pool noodles or
foam rubber swords.
25. In the past, some experts, particularly Dr
Spock, discouraged this sort of play between
adults and children, but today, it’s more
widely held that your instincts is right and this
sort of play is healthy.
26. It’s a good way for adults to release a bit of
stress and goof off, as well as giving the
children quality time and exercise.
27. It helps children learn how to be strong and
aggressive without being violent (and you
can teach them a few good self-defence
moves if you feel like it).
28. Build walking and being
more active into your
routines.
You might find it hard to break the habit of
taking the lift rather than the stairs or
parking as close to the shops as you can.
29. But if you make yourself do it, especially
when you’re with your children, this sort of
thing will become normal for your children
and they’ll get good habits that will
(hopefully) last a lifetime.
30. For more fun activities check out
www.fridayschildmontessori.com
