And make it fun. If exercise becomes work, it won't work. If it's too competitive, too early, they will lose their desire by middle school or high school. We want to make it fun and teach them sportsmanship and how to work together. There are about 500 boys and girls aged 4 to 9 playing in the Upper Bucks YMCA's midget and biddy basketball leagues.
Organized sports are just part of the solution.
A lot of sports don't have a lot to do with fitness and have more stopping and standing than running. Parents can't rely on the local soccer league to keep their children fit. They need to encourage them to run and ride and play tag and catch on their own. Or with their parents. When I was growing up we just played and played.