Supporting active kids

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Parents can really help children be active by joining in when children play. The encouragement and modelling shown by parents and other caregivers helps build confidence and keeps children’s attention focused while they develop skills such as catching and hitting.

Spending lots of time at local playgrounds and helping your child master skills such as climbing, sliding, swinging and balancing is another great way to keep her interested in being active and give her confidence a boost. You might like to have a swing yourself – if you’re having fun, you’ll want to stay longer, and she'll be more interested if you're interested too. Give her lots of praise for being active and she'll be even more enthusiastic.

Some kids really like organised sports such as soccer and netball. Enthusiasm for an organised sport often keeps kids active right through to adulthood, so it’s worth making an effort to support your child’s particular interest, if she has one. You can do this by:

• helping her to practise skills related to the chosen sport
• becoming involved in the club or organisation she plays for
• attending as many matches and training sessions as you can
• praising efforts, no matter whether the outcome is a win, lose or draw
• attending professional matches together to inspire your child
• working with your child’s school and local government to increase opportunities for physical activities, such as team sports, walking and cycling.

Your support of your child’s sporting efforts is crucial.

On the other hand, it can be very stressful for children if parents become pushy and competitive. If your child doesn't seem interested in an activity, or it seems too difficult, it is best not to force her. And if you find yourself getting angry with your child's coach, it might be time to put some distance between you and your child’s sporting achievements.

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