Everything in America is getting bigger. Cars, televisions, the meals we are being served, and the kids we raise. What is the common denominator causing all this? We all know the answer…it’s the “good life” we live, and a lack of exercise.
The fitness industry has an obligation to the health of our youngsters and an opportunity that is beneficial to our industry. Schools can’t do it all, and we have to offer the “right stuff” to be effective.
Rule #1
With children, exercise always has to be “Fun & Games.”
Rule #2
A fitness facility has to provide an environment children want to return to.
Rule #3
Children’s fitness programs have to be age appropriate, educational, and taught by professionals who understand child development.
None of these categories come naturally to the fitness industry. The proper programs and professionals are hard to find. For kids there is no fun in lifting weights or jogging on a treadmill. Where can kids play while being challenged to solve problems creatively? In order to find the answers, we need to look a little closer at “the rules.”
How do you incorporate “Fun & Games?”
• Children want to run for a purpose, not on a treadmill. They want to be the first to cross a line, to chase a ball, to catch someone in a game.
• Children want to be challenged with problems they can master. Provide them with creative activities that encourage analytical thinking.
• Children want directions they can follow, they want structure that makes them feel safe.
How should you design your children’s facility?
• The area for children’s activities should be separate from the rest of your club.
• The space doesn’t have to be large, 800- 2000 square feet. But, several activity spaces with different equipment set-ups are recommended. A large space may be divided by curtains, to run more than one class at a time.
• Buy multi-purpose equipment. Machines or game devices that only do one thing get old quickly and can only be incorporated in a playground-like set-up from time to time. Start with the basics, like apparatus that can be rearranged for different challenges. You must be able to change the set-up to suit the curriculum.
• Provide a space for parents to wait, a place where they can watch their child without being too much of a distraction.
What kind of programs should you offer?
• With children’s programs, one size does not fit all. The younger the child, the more age appropriate the program must be.
• The right program will follow a planned curriculum. Fitness for kids is not babysitting or free play. It is learning through movement in an environment that stimulates and challenges.
• Your instructor should not only enjoy working with children, they must be able to truly teach. Coaching or just being a facilitator of a program is not enough.
• The teaching environment is created by the equipment set-up for each week, and it is determined by what is taught during the following week. If you have a particular theme for the week, a little decoration on the walls and ceilings will put a smile on everyone’s face!
• The substance of your program, the quality of your instructors, and the effort you are putting into creating an environment for “your kids” will be the ingredients of your success.
The overall goals of a children’s fitness program are much more complex than those of adults. Games and movement activities should be taught for specific reasons, not just fun. Kids need to get moving because that is how they explore the world around them. For kids, the incentive is to play and test their own abilities, not to lose weight or to develop cardiovascular health. For them it’s all about having a good time, and they’ll be more likely to think of physical activity as a pleasurable experience making them more apt to be adults who enjoy fitness.
We need to impart a habit of activity that will become second nature to the child as he/she grows into adulthood. We also need to challenge and enhance the child’s creativity, problem solving skills, and decision making. We need to build confidence, an understanding of fair play, and last but not least…a greater respect for body and soul. If you do it right, you will walk away from a children’s program with much more than a profit.
Siegfried Gerstung is the President of Gerstung Inter-Sport. He can be contacted at 800.922.3575, or by email at sg@gerstung.com.
