I have just been reading this article from the BBC News. It says “The more active a mother is, the more physically active her child will be, suggests a UK study of 500 mums and four-year-olds”.
The article and study suggest, children are not ‘born’ active, their activity levels are influenced by how active their mothers are. If their mothers are very active, children will be follow suit. To me this makes sense to a point. Children can be greatly influenced by their parents, they learn by example, by what they see and experience.
I believe my children are very active kids, especially Big Brother, he just won’t sit still. I feel, I am a fairly active mother, though I don’t (unfortunately) do any specific exercise. I am always on the go chasing round after them, just not doing any strenuous physical activity. Does this count? They observe me getting involved, playing with them, joining in their physical games, encouraging them outside. This has got to play a part in them being active (I hope).
However, what about mums who work, they may not get as much of a chance to be physically active with their children, surely this doesn’t mean their children are not active?!
I think we all need to take responsibility for encouraging children’s physical activity, the mothers, the fathers and the child care providers. It can’t all be laid on the mothers shoulders. Children often spend time in various settings and are usually influenced by a variety of people. Has this been taken into account in this study?
We can all help children be active. Encourage and join in with outdoor play, go for walks, bike rides, scooters, climb tress, dance to music, jump, have races, the list is endless. Take a look at my ideas for garden play in winter for some inspiration. Turn off the TV and computer and join in the fun.
How active are you as a mother, does this reflect in how active your children are?
