As a parent of three pretty active kids I tend to spend most of my life running them around to one sporting event or another and without fail it seems that their chosen sports are all played at the same time but in different locations. I may moan and groan about this occasionally but in truth I love the fact that my kids would rather spend their time competing against and playing with their team mates peers than spending their time sitting in front of the television or otherwise getting themselves in trouble.

I often wonder though, why more parents don’t steer their children toward some sort of sport or activity. With the vast variety of sports available, both team and individual, no matter what fitness or skill level your child is at, there is bound to be something suitable.

Turn on the news or read the paper and it seems that in many parts of the world childhood obesity is becoming a problem; people often blame the fast food industry and computer games for example for a lot of it, when in reality it’s something that can be lessened by getting your children to become a little more active.

Whether they are at home or at school there’s always the means for a child to start on the road to physical activity of some sort; be it a family walk around the block or skipping at school. Once a child starts building their fitness level, even just a little, they will soon notice for themselves how much easier things can be. Children that have asthma for example may be aided by taking up swimming; in fact quite a few Australian swimmers took up the sport to help them with their asthma.

For those children that balk at the idea of playing competitive sport for a multitude of reasons: not sure how to play, don’t know anyone, the game is too hard etc there are lots of ways to overcome those obstacles, from finding a sport that suits their ability, physical capabilities and fitness levels to showing them that everyone is a beginner at some stage and with just a little practice it won’t be long before they too are the same level as their new found friends and team mates.

While sport will not cure everything it’s a great starting point and with so many benefits, not just fitness but others as well, it can also teach them a lot of what they will need later in life.