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Rating: 
Summary: Required Reading for all Parents and Child Care Givers!
Review: .
Finally! An instruction manual for children's physical fitness: kid's sports/obesity/TV watching/baby gym classes - it's all in here, for ages 0 - 8.Your Active Child is a great book for all parents - regardless of how active (or inactive) your children are. Kudos to Rae Pica (the author): She knows how to write a book that busy parents can actually read and use. As the parent of two children, I would highly recommend that every parent (and every health care professional, teacher, or child caregiver) read this book - and then buy it for 10 of their closest friends and colleagues. It's that good, that informative, that important. This book is easy to read and offers practical, realistic, FUN suggestions for getting your kids moving in the right ways. One of the things that struck me was that parents like me, who think they're doing everything right with respect to exercise may, in fact, be doing some things that are very destructive in the long term. As parents, we all have the very best intentions, but let's face it: children just don't come with instruction manuals. With respect to understanding what kinds and amounts of physical activity are right for kids, Your Active Child is about as close as I've seen. The book is chock full of startling statistics and research about the effects, physical, cognitive, and emotional, that too little or too much activity can have on children. But more importantly, Your Active Child points out some great ways to engage your kids and get them off the couch, and make physical activity a fun, normal part of their everyday lives. Bet you didn't know that too much activity could be bad for kids. Neither did I, until I read this book. But as the author, Rae Pica, points out, some parents are taking things too far in the other direction - and with disastrous results. But Your Active Child is more than just a bunch of scary stats. What I really liked about this book was that it broke things down by age (from newborn to age eight) and gave really solid information about what was developmentally appropriate for that age. It also gave some great advice and ideas within each age group for introducing healthy activity levels into your children's lives. Again: important topic, good book. Get it, read it cover to cover, and lend it to or buy it for your friends with kids. And their teachers. And their doctors!
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Summary: Hooray! An inspiring "How To" reference for ALL parents
Review: I have half a mind to buy 10 copies for friends and family. The author has depicted beautifully, not only how important it is to keep our kids active but, to make sure they don't get too much exercise as well. It never occurred to me that too much activity can actually cause harm. I have two small boys and often struggle with whether or not I do enough to keep them active. It seems most of their friends play soccer, gym class, basketball, music lessons, arts & crafts, etc. The list goes on and on. I feel much better after reading this book that I'm not over-scheduling them. After all, they are only two and four. This book offers FUN, practicle, simple ideas for age-appropriate activities. I keep this book on the kitchen counter as I plan my days. My life is forever changed. I am far more motivated to set a good example for my children to follow with regard to exercising (my husband sure does). I want them to develop a life-long love for exercise, to stay fit and healthy. I find it wonderful that my boys now refer to going to the playground as "can we go exercise?" There are no negative connotations to exercise in my house. Thank you, thank you, thank you Rae Pica!!!
Rating:
Summary: Hooray! An inspiring "How To" reference for ALL parents
Review: I have half a mind to buy 10 copies for friends and family. The author has depicted beautifully, not only how important it is to keep our kids active but, to make sure they don't get too much exercise as well. It never occurred to me that too much activity can actually cause harm. I have two small boys and often struggle with whether or not I do enough to keep them active. It seems most of their friends play soccer, gym class, basketball, music lessons, arts & crafts, etc. The list goes on and on. I feel much better after reading this book that I'm not over-scheduling them. After all, they are only two and four. This book offers FUN, practicle, simple ideas for age-appropriate activities. I keep this book on the kitchen counter as I plan my days. My life is forever changed. I am far more motivated to set a good example for my children to follow with regard to exercising (my husband sure does). I want them to develop a life-long love for exercise, to stay fit and healthy. I find it wonderful that my boys now refer to going to the playground as "can we go exercise?" There are no negative connotations to exercise in my house. Thank you, thank you, thank you Rae Pica!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I was Looking For
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. What parent/child doesn't know about hitting balloons around? Playing Follow the Leader? Or putting babies on their stomachs to strengthen their bodies since they are supposed to be sleeping on their backs all the time. Or putting objects ahead of them to encourage moving toward the toy? It is filled with what I feel is common knowledge--health risks of inactivity, kids' organized sports pros & cons, "motor milestones" for infants. I was looking for some creative ideas for small children, especially ideas on keeping active during the winter and bad weather. I was expecting many suggestions on simple, inexpensive ideas for active play, ratings of active play equipment, suggestions for some toys good for active play (beyond hoola hoops, balls, etc.). I didn't gain one good new idea from reading the whole book. But, I was glad to see the much hated Dodge Ball is now banned in many schools!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide to encouraging physical activity
Review: If you are interested in encouraging your child to adopt a more active lifestyle, you will want to add this book to your parenting book library. Rae Pica has written a well-researched, parent-friendly guide to promoting physical fitness in children. She starts out by talking out about the reasons parents will want to encourage their kids to become more physically active (e.g., the scary childhood obesity stats that stare us in the face every time we open the health section of a newspaper these days) and then warns of the perils of forcing your child to become a 'superkid' (a child who lives and breathes sports 24/7). She then goes on to talk about the important role parents have to play in promoting physical activity in children and offers some concrete strategies for doing so. The result is an excellent guide that every parent who is serious about combatting the childhood obesity crisis should own.
Rating:
Summary: Crucial book for ambitious parents
Review: Rae Pica is very passionate about her subject, and provides the data to back up her beliefs. Parenting is so difficult, not just because children are so impressionable and innocent, and yet so demanding, but also because parents themselves cannot help but regress to their own childhoods. Books like this help to keep parents sane, reminding them that their good intentions will not heal the human race until they are aligned with the natural and healthy development of each individual personality that is in their care. This book provides much evidence of the importance of a more intelligent approach to mental, emotional and physical development than is currently employed in the vast majority of US schools. The games and suggestions she gives are easy for anyone to employ, no matter how tired or overwrought a parent may be! I'm especially pleased about her comment on swimming -- my niece was a competitive swimmer from a very young age, and although she was nationally ranked for her age, development of her muscular & bone structure became problematic (and expensive!) during her teens. (Why no one mentions this when they talk about how Michael Phelps can't walk or run properly is beyone me!) But not only parents should read this -- it's so easy to understand, that I'd give it to the babysitter too... they have just as much influence on your child as anyone else.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I was Looking For
Review: This book is a "must read" for the parents of young children. Having been a part of the coaching staff and the Board of Directors of a traditional youth sport program, I witnessed a lot that put my stomach in knots. I have spent several years since then reading professional journals and academic texts to help me to understand how to provide for a child's intrinsic interest in movement, play and sport without all of the negative outcomes that come with overzealous youth sport programs. I often wished that others would do some of the reading with me, but parents of young children have other demands on their time. Finally a book has appeared that is full of sound science and practical application. And, it is written for parents, not researchers and academics, even though I know this will be a welcome addition to their library as well. Although it may take hours of reading in professional journals and textbooks to realize just how valuable this book is, I'm here to tell you that I wish I had a book like this one when I started my serious reading in this area. The author provides numerous citations to reputable web sites, organizations, and other written resources for further exploration if you want or need more information on a specific topic. I am particularly impressed with the author's position that more is not always better. There are dangers to overscheduling our children. Thus, it is even more important that we as parents carefully evaluate the programs in which we do place our children. I now realize the importance of child-directed play and the time that needs to be allowed for all of the rich learning that comes with it. Your Active Child is a book you will want to read and keep handy as a reference as your child develops throughout childhood.
Rating:
Summary: A Dream Come True
Review: This book is a "must read" for the parents of young children. Having been a part of the coaching staff and the Board of Directors of a traditional youth sport program, I witnessed a lot that put my stomach in knots. I have spent several years since then reading professional journals and academic texts to help me to understand how to provide for a child's intrinsic interest in movement, play and sport without all of the negative outcomes that come with overzealous youth sport programs. I often wished that others would do some of the reading with me, but parents of young children have other demands on their time. Finally a book has appeared that is full of sound science and practical application. And, it is written for parents, not researchers and academics, even though I know this will be a welcome addition to their library as well. Although it may take hours of reading in professional journals and textbooks to realize just how valuable this book is, I'm here to tell you that I wish I had a book like this one when I started my serious reading in this area. The author provides numerous citations to reputable web sites, organizations, and other written resources for further exploration if you want or need more information on a specific topic. I am particularly impressed with the author's position that more is not always better. There are dangers to overscheduling our children. Thus, it is even more important that we as parents carefully evaluate the programs in which we do place our children. I now realize the importance of child-directed play and the time that needs to be allowed for all of the rich learning that comes with it. Your Active Child is a book you will want to read and keep handy as a reference as your child develops throughout childhood.
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