Parents should play games and do exercises with their children. This will not only help enhance their relationship and foster children’s interest in sports, but also help improve their physical fitness through doing exercise. Hence, parents should look for opportunities to do exercises with their children in a relaxed manner. The following exercises are suitable for doing with children aged 3 or above:
1. Passing a Ball with Your Feet | |||
Materials: Sitting pads and a ball |
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Methods:
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Variation:
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Remarks: Select an object (e.g. towel, balloon or basketball) for passing according to the ability of the child. |
2. Baseball Batting | |||
Materials: Paper bat (made up of 4 to 5 sheets of rolled-up newspaper) Paper balls (squeeze newspaper into a ball and fix its shape with adhesive tape) |
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Methods:
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Variation:
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Remarks: The length of the bat should be adjusted according to the height and arm length of the child. |
3. Shuttlecock Kicking | |||
Materials: A shuttlecock |
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Methods:
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Variation:
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Remarks: Beginners or very young children may hit the shuttlecock with their hands. For safety’s sake, avoid playing in a cramped space. |
Apart from the parent-child activities suggested above, parents may, depending on their fitness conditions, take part in the following activities with their children:
You may also consider doing aerobics, fit ball and elastic band exercises at home; or doing the aforesaid stretching and muscle strengthening exercises in the park; or even participating in recreation and sports activities such as aerobic dance, social dance, hydro-fitness, tai-chi, badminton, tennis and resistance training together with your friends in order to enrich your life.
Parent-child activities come in a great variety without restrictions on their forms or contents. The most important point is that you should take the initiative to exercise more and ask your family and friends to join you so that you can keep your mind and body fit while enjoying a great time together with them.
For details about the “Healthy Exercise for All Campaign”, please call the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) 24-hour Customer Hotline at 2414 5555 (This hotline is handled by “1823”) or visit the website of LCSD at www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/healthy.
For more information on health, please call the Health Education Infoline of the Department of Health at 2833 0111 or visit the website of Centre for Health Protection at www.chp.gov.hk