Introduction
I grew up in a rural area of Puerto Rico in times where technology was very limited. We didn’t have cellphones, videogames, or satellite TV. Despite this limitation, I had a lot of fun growing up playing games and sports with friends and family. One of my best childhood memories includes family baseball outings on our house driveway. The field was made out of asphalt, the bases were pieces of cardboard, the bat was a broomstick, the ball was made out of newspaper and electric tape, and the players were Mom, Dad, my brother, and sometimes my aunts and cousins. This family activity gave us an opportunity to engage in physical activity and quality family time. Even retrieving a foul ball required lots of physical activity. The ball would end up on the side of a cliff and a search team was needed to retrieve the ball while navigating the hilly terrain.
Many of you are reminiscing about your childhood while reading this story. A parent’s engagement in family physical activity is crucial to influence our children to engage in healthy behaviors that are conducive to a better health and quality of life. I am no longer that kid playing baseball near the coffee plantation in Puerto Rico. Now I am a parent trying to provide the same experiences for my son so he can also be physically active.
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You probably heard that children are constantly modeling behaviors from others around them. A parent’s own engagement in physical activity is important to influence children to choose and engage in healthy lifestyles such as physical activity, exercise, sports, and healthy nutrition. As parents, we need to create opportunities for our children to model healthy behaviors. As a family, one of our favorite things to do is visit playgrounds and hike or walk with our son. Sometimes it is hard to fit my 6-foot frame through a playground slide but the experience of actively playing with my son is worth the effort.
Benefits of Physical Activity & Children with Disabilities
Positive health-related outcomes can be achieved by participating in physical activity. There is evidence supporting that children’s participation in physical activity at home, school, and in the community relates to well-being, quality of life, and physical and social development 2. Through social interactions in different social contexts, children are capable of acquiring knowledge and skills necessary to engage in interactions with their peers.
Children with disabilities can also benefit from parental engagement in physical activity. A review study by Piškur and colleagues reported that parents of children with physical disabilities can facilitate engagement in physical activity by “choosing meaningful activities for their child”, “advocating” for the child, “educating” the social environment, and “networking” with other people. Parents often face challenges in the environment such as “attitudes of other people,” “insufficient system support,” and “barriers in both the natural and built environments”. Parents frequently experience difficulty in finding suitable educational systems and meaningful activities for their children that support participation outside of the home.
Unfortunately, children with disabilities experience exclusion of physical activity participation. They participate less frequently in almost all activities compared to children without physical disabilities (see infographic below). As a result, they have fewer opportunities building relationships and often feel socially isolated. The disparity in physical activity participation for children with disabilities augments the importance of parental engagement in physical activity.
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School Physical Education Engagement
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines parent engagement in schools as parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning, development, and health of children and adolescents 4. Schools play a huge role in promoting physical activity (see infographic below). Parents can be involved in school physical education by reinforcing and practicing at home what the students learn about health and wellness at school. From physical activity to food and beverage options, how a parent views and addresses physical activity and healthy eating can have a lifelong impact on a child. Parents can also show interest and involvement during physical education classes and special events at your school such as participating in Take Your Parent to PE Week. During Take Your Parent to PE Week, parents can be introduced to the school’s physical education program and teacher(s) to parents so that they will engage in physical education throughout the year.
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A Guide to Engaging Parents in School Physical Education and Physical Activity: Resources and Examples
- Active Schools is a national movement to ensure that students are getting 60 minutes of physical activity a day in K -12 schools across the country. Active Schools just released a new resource that provides a variety of creative ideas and simple suggestions for cultivating parental involvement at your school titled A Guide to Engaging Parents in School Physical Education and Physical Activity: Resources and Examples. This guide can be used by teachers, individuals, and groups who work with parents, such as physical education teachers, parent/ family engagement staff, principals, PTA/PTOs, and school health/wellness committees. The compendium of resources illustrated throughout the guide can help parents play a significant role in supporting physical activity opportunities at school.
Take a look at these resources for parents of kids with disabilities: - Parent Engagement strategies for Involving Parents in School Health: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/pdf/parent_engagement_strategies.pdf
- Discover Leisure Education: https://www.nchpad.org/discoverleisure/index.html
- Kids Korner: https://www.nchpad.org/Articles/Monthly~Columns/85/Kids~Korner
- Discover Camp: https://www.nchpad.org/discover/index.html
I encourage everyone to recreate their past experiences of family engagement in physical activity with their children. This practice not only benefits the children but it also benefits you – the PARENT. Access the resources presented in this article and go out and create your own memories. Ensure that family engagement happens through every stage of children’s development and ensure that engagement in physical activity is passed on to future generations.
References
1. Active Living Research: The Role of Schools in Promoting Physical Activity. https://activelivingresearch.org/blog/2012/04/infographic-role-schools-promoting-physical-activity
2. Piškur, Barbara et al. “Daily Actions, Challenges, and Needs among Dutch Parents While Supporting the Participation of Their Child with a Physical Disability at Home, at School, and in the Community: A Qualitative Diary Study.” BMC Pediatrics 17 (2017): 12. PMC. Web. 12 Jan. 2018.
3. Active Schools: A Guide to Engaging Parents in School Physical Education and Physical Activity: Resources and Examples. https://active-schools-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/3/attachments/Parent_Guide.pdf?1513371012
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2012. www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/