Fitness Report Cards

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

06 Jun 2006 09:02 AM

2 years ago, the Arkansas schools began sending report cards and letters home to the parents grading not only their children's academic progress, but also their fitness and weight levels. If you can imagine that receiving those letters were not pleasant - then you are not in the minority. Getting a school letter telling you that your child is fat is not a thing any parent wants to receive.

However, these letters did do something. They provided the impetus for parents to take their kids to the pediatrician for talks about weight problems, enroll them in fitness classes and keep the dialogue going with regard to the weight-loss pills and more.

States Getting in the Groove

California, Florida and Pennsylvania are all following Arkansas' lead and adopting similar programs to encourage healthier habits not only in their students; but also in their kid's families. Here in Texas, programs are still voluntary but there is more discussion about adding health and fitness assessments to the report card cycle.

As parents, this is encouraging but it highlights a lack of awareness on our parts about the general state of health and fitness in our own families. For example, kids like sweets - if you offer most of them a choice between a healthy snack and candy - many of them will choose the candy.

Why?

For the same reason we would - it tastes good.

Chocolate Tastes Good

Chocolate tastes good and while it does have some properties that we may or may not need. Imagine how much healthier your diet and your child's diet would be if you eliminated sweets from your diet. But just changing your eating habits is not enough. You need a fitness and exercise component.

Kids should be active. They are growing. Their bodies, their organs, their bones and their muscles are all developing. Positive influences include adding more positive activities and not just the organized ones like soccer, dance and such. They need playtime on a playground, in a swimming pool or just out riding their bikes. They need to play and be active, building up their endurance and their muscle strength.

You can't just tell your kids to get up off the sofa or away from the video games - you need to do the same thing. Lead by example - what's good for your child is good for your whole family.

So if the fitness and health report is good for your kids, what other measures do you see schools incorporating that can have a positive effect on your child's fitness levels?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger