Although it appears that the obesity rate in children is now stabilizing, there are still too many fat children. Children where the ratio of eating versus exercise is far out of sync and/or where children have the wrong nutritional problem. Apart from being overweight, a lot of exercise or sports is always good for a child, for motor skills, learning to work together, knowing what competition is and socializing. In addition to what parents/carers can control, there are more options to get a child moving.
Infectious
Sports as a matter of course
In a family where sport is taken for granted (parents/educators and brothers/sisters who are also active in sports), it will be easier to get children moving than when parents/educators have no interest in it themselves. That in itself is not strange. Children copy and therefore also these aspects. If you are not sports-minded yourself or you are and your child does not take it for granted, then you as a parent/educator can of course do something. However, this is not only the responsibility of the parent/educator, but the school can also play a role in this.
Swimming is a must!
In the past, some school swimming was normal, everyone went to the swimming pool on the bus and learned to swim. Swimming is actually part of education, especially in a country like the Netherlands.
However, this is no longer a given and for many schools the initiative has been left to the parents/educators due to a lack of financial resources. Of course, fortunately there are many parents who put their child in swimming lessons themselves, but the collective nature of school has more advantages. After all, as children you spend many hours together at school and you don’t want to lose track, so the drive to learn to swim well and get your diplomas quickly is great. You may also want to be the fastest, because that’s cool. The hour of swimming per week if you receive (private) lessons through a swimming club is different. You don’t see those children anymore and it gives you a little more flexibility, so to speak. There is no stick behind the door other than the parent/guardian who occasionally asks how you are doing with floating and treading water and whether you are making progress without a board.
There are now more and more initiatives to pool the money you would otherwise spend individually to allow all children to swim during school, but all parents/guardians must of course participate.
Gymnastics class
Gym lessons are still available and should actually be a regular part of every day. Putting the body into action every day and then getting the mind going behind the table. The balance that we have lost in the West for years can be restored in no time. Many people only discover during adult life that the balance is gone, while this can be learned as a matter of course in childhood. We can learn something from some Eastern countries in this regard. In various countries, collective exercises are done before school (or work) and we laugh ourselves silly in the West when the images appear on television, but who is a bit stupid here?
During gymnastics lessons you will be presented with all kinds of sports with the right sports teacher and you will also understand which sport may be suitable for you. One is a real team player and the other absolutely wants to work individually. One person is physically oriented and the other wants to be able to work very tactically.
After all, there are so many sports that you have to try something out to find out what you like. Of course, the sport alone does not say everything, because you also have to like the club character. But wanting to try it out starts with a sport that appeals to you and gymnastics lessons are ideally suited for that.
Source: Alexas Photos, Pixabay
Change or a permanent character
Boyfriends
When children practice a certain sport, they sometimes want to include some other friends in their slipstream who will also practice that sport. Practice shows that at that age, these are often not permanent. Just because a friend plays a sport does not mean that you will enjoy it enough to do the sport several times a week. As a parent/educator you could let him/her take some trial lessons and at some associations you can participate a few times for free and then you can decide whether it is a suitable sport for you.
Television
Top sport on television encourages people to exercise and this applies to all age categories, including the youngest. When there is top sport, people become enthusiastic, especially when it comes to Dutch people, and they want to get that feeling. The Tour de France attracts many cycling enthusiasts every year and of course a European or World Cup in football or skating guarantees new registrations at the various associations. An Olympic Games is of course also good, especially if a medal is won. If it is in a sport where we did not expect this medal, these associations can often wring their hands as they await the new members.
Unfortunately, over time, many lose weight. A parent/educator can try to keep a child enthusiastic, but if children do not immediately connect with other children, they often drop out.
Need can become want
The compulsory numbers at school, if the gym teacher is enthusiastic, can also lead to more starters. In the past, children who once got a taste of swimming often stuck around, because once they get the hang of it, it often becomes much more fun to do. If speed wasn’t really your thing, then water polo or clean swimming could be something. Athletics is also such a sport, where children enjoy certain aspects and thus delve deeper into this broad sport. But of course also play a game of football or basketball on the street. If a club can be formed, this could lead to real competitive sports.
Finally
There are so many opportunities for sports that it is almost impossible to ignore them in the Netherlands, and yet there are still relatively many children who are hardly or not involved in sports at all. Children of non-native parents/educators in particular are at a disadvantage and that is a shame, because non-native children can certainly become isolated for all kinds of reasons and sport always brings people together!
