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Encourage Kids to Choose Fun Physical Activities
Telling kids to unplug and get active triggers resistance.
By Shirley Archer, JD, MA
Sep 8, 2020
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The best way for parents to motivate kids to be active may be to emphasize a child’s feelings of choice, competence and social relatedness. Finnish researchers from the University of Jyväskylä conducted a study with 79 children ages 7–10 to assess how best to motivate them to be more active. The scientists concluded that psychological reactance (oppositional resistance) occurs when parents “demand” that children be active by coercively limiting screen time or by pressuring them into sports participation, which may lead to feelings of shame, embarrassment or even humiliation.
Instead, the best way to motivate kids is to provide a structured environment that supports being active and emphasizes positive feelings of autonomy, success in activities of interest and shared parental participation.
The findings are available in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2020; 17 [7], 2315).
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Schedule Time to Be Physically Active. …
Involve Family or Friends in Exercise. …
Create a Reward System. …
Spend Time Outdoors. …
Play “Simon Says keyslog” …
Have Toys that Promote Physical Activity Handy. …
Know What Activities are Age Appropriate. …
Model an Active Lifestyle.