Winter No Excuse to Let Kids Sit Around

BOZEMAN -- Just because the days are shorter and the air cooler doesn't mean kids should stay indoors all winter, says a health expert at Montana State University-Bozeman.

Data show that children burn half as many calories in the winter as they do in the summer, owing to a substantial drop in activity, said Peter Rehor, an assistant professor of health and human development. Parents and other adults should help elementary and middle school-age kids structure wintertime exercise because it's harder for them to find things to do on their own.

"Most children reduce the level of activities in the winter, but it's important to not reduce them to a level that they can't recover from in the springtime," said Rehor.

He suggests a minimum each week of one game kids can do inside the home, one outside "under the sky" and one somewhere in the community.

"The idea is not to make them into superstars but to get them in the habit, just like brushing their teeth," Rehor said.

Inside the home, for example, parents can put up an indoor hoop in the basement or garage for shooting baskets. Rehor said he bought a game of table tennis for his kids.

Outside the home, parents should take their kids sledding, cross-country skiing or skating. Older children can be encouraged to arrange such outings with their friends.

In the community, kids can go swimming at a public pool, play indoor tennis or shoot baskets at a local gym or school.

"If they do one activity a week at each place, it's not important how hard or how active, but the habit that will last them a lifetime" said Rehor.

When spring comes they'll easily return to unstructured, outdoor sports instead of slowing slipping into a sedentary lifestyle.

Indeed, studies show that "American children are not as fit as we would like them to be," said Rehor. Thirty-five to 37 percent are above recommended body weights, compared with 22 percent just 15 years ago. Even children as young as three display some risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.

Television is the No. 1 culprit, Rehor said. (Children watch an average of 24 hours of TV each week.) Next in line are physical education programs in schools that aren't geared to the children who need them the most, preoccupied parents and the changing family structure, he said.

Children also are more self-sufficient than they used to be. They decide for themselves which activities to pursue, and, like many adults, choose entertainment over movement, Rehor said.

Go to Current and Classic MSU-Bozeman Feature Stories Organized by Topic
You are the 10179th person to access this page.