Physical Activity Games at Home
The influence of parents is a significant factor in promoting children's participation in physical activity. A parent’s role modeling, support, encouragement, and praise act as a positive influence in promoting physical activity.

Children are active learners and they need to learn to move with skill. While children’s play is often spontaneous and unstructured, children can be taught skills at the same time. Apart from schools, parents and caregivers play a unique role in supporting and guiding children in developing skills. You can help your child learn lifelong habits for good physical fitness by participating in physical activities. Here are some ideas:

• Be a role model. Participate in and enjoy physical activity yourself.
• Play active games with your child. Your participation encourages your child to engage in physical activity.
• Plan time for unstructured play. Young children need blocks of time to invent play, including physical activity.
• Provide space, including outdoor space, for active play. If your home does not have a place to play outdoors, take your child to a park or schoolyard every day.
• Look for programs in your community. Your community’s recreation or parks department may have activities for young children. Attend your Parent Teacher Association/Parent Teacher Organization program’s group meeting that provides active play times.
• Invite a buddy. Your child may be more physically active when he has a playmate.
• Try planning a variation of a childhood favorite such as hopscotch. See variations here.
• Play “Busy Body Bingo.” Print out a board for each person that will be playing the game. Ask children to take turns picking out an activity from the board for the family to do. When the movement from that square is complete all participants put a marker on the square (i.e. bean, piece of paper, penny). The first person to get 5 squares in a row is the winner.
• Limit TV watching. More than an hour or two of TV watching and electronic game playing does pose a threat to your child’s physical well being. Be positive about your child’s activity. Encourage her skills and avoid making fun of her ability.

Building Physical Activity into Your Day
An active lifestyle is healthy and fun for the entire family. Active living means building physical activities into your family’s routine. We all learn by example. If you spend your evening in front of the TV you won’t inspire other family members to be more active. Set an example by making physical activity a priority in your life. Here are some activities to try with your children:

• Place clear limits on television viewing. Explain your rules in positive concrete terms. Try replacing “You can’t watch TV” with “Let’s turn the TV off so we can…”
• Take a walk after dinner – and make it a “treasure hunt.” List five to ten items for each of your children to look for on your walk (i.e. a leaf, a twig, pinecones). Provide a paper bag to hold the loot.
• Ride bikes on a nearby trail
• Dance to your favorite music in the living room
• Play Frisbee
• Have the family go to the local park and play basketball, volleyball, tennis, or soccer.

Bike and Scooter Safety
When it comes to bicycles and scooters, safety starts in the home. Parents must teach their children how to ride safe, which also includes teaching by example. The following is a list of important safety rules to teach your children:

• Always come to a complete stop at stop signs. Obey all other traffic signs and signals.
• Before entering the street from your driveway or sidewalk, stop and check for traffic by looking left-right-left
• Ride on the right side of the street in the same direction as traffic. Remember to ride single file, one behind the other
• Riding at night is dangerous. If you must ride at night, make sure to have bright lights in front and back. Wear reflectors and reflective colors to help others see you.
• Use hand signals to let drivers know what you are going to do

If getting your child to wear a helmet is difficult try some of these tips:

• Set a good example by wearing your own helmet when you ride bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles
• Point out famous athletes who use helmets to prevent injuries, examples include football players, baseball players, and even some bull riders
• Have your child pick out the helmet
• Never allow your child to ride without wearing a helmet
• Praise your child for wearing a helmet
• Start the helmet habit early with your child’s first wheels

Street Safety
Spring is here and your kids are ready to go outside and play. Kids’ smaller size makes them difficult for drivers to see. Parents and legal guardians should explain why safety is important. Here are some tips for keeping your child safe:

• Have your child practice safe bike and scooter safety
• Teach them to cross the street at the corner and keep looking while they cross
• Tell them to never walk or run between parked cars
• Remind them to always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
• Teach your child to never run out into a street for a ball, pet, or any other reason
• Make sure your child plays in safe places away from motor vehicles. Good play places include your backyard, parks, and playgrounds.
• Check on your child frequently when they are outside
• Before backing out of your driveway or leaving a parking lot look for children