Want Some Alone Time? Give Your Kids a Fun and Active Place to Play!

If you are a parent today, then you definitely remember how different being a kid was for you compared to being a kid now. How many times have you looked at your child and wondered what was so entertaining about that stupid violent video game or wondered what they could even be looking at on their smartphone for that amount of time?

Then you must think to yourself, why the heck do these kids even have certain things like smartphones and laptops. Without claiming advancements in technology to be a bad thing, it is important to acknowledge the fact that they often tend to cloud our children minds, leaving them stuck trapped in this virtual world where reality is far from existent.

Today, especially in the United States, there are an unacceptable amount of children that suffer from obesity, and this is something that should not be played around with. Obese Children are at a greater risk of bone and joint issues, sleeping problems, and social and psychological problems such as poor self esteem. This is because in the real physical world, other kids can be harsh and judgmental, where as in a virtual game, your physical appearance and health is ghostly, and all that matters is the character you are controlling.

What happened to the days when kids would play ball in the street until dinner time? when did disappearing into the woods and venturing to a world you have created become unacceptable? What about backyard swingsets and playground sets, what happened to playing on those things? Kids today need to participate in more physical activity and engaging with other kids, real kids, that they need to actually be themselves around, as well as interact with them face to face.

The is no doubt about it, the social aspects of life should be of primitive concern when raising a child, but health will always remain atop of that list. The United States Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children as young as six and older should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day, even if that simply means forcing your kid to play on a playground set, or installing a swing set for them to play on.

Regular physical activity will not only help build and maintain healthy bones and muscles, but it can also help prevent diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer. People tend to think just because kids are kids, that they can eat and do anything they want and there is nothing to worry about until they start to get a little older. Although it would be nice to be able to not worry about our health, it is simply not how life works. Recent studies conducted on children from ages five to 17 showed that 70 percent of obese children suffer from some type of cardiovascular disease. Do you want really want your child to be a part of this percentage?

This does not mean that you need to make your child go through two months of the Insanity workout, do CrossFit, or join a gym, it simply means that you can point your child in a healthy direction just by forcing them to go play on a big swing set or playground set within the safeness of your own backyard.

Refernce materials.