Nowadays, many kids and adolescents spend their free time involved in more inactive pastimes, like browsing the Web, playing video games or channel surfing the TV. This current trend towards a more inactive lifestyle among children and youth could contribute to such future health problems as heart disease, depression or diabetes.

Participating in sports is a great way for kids and adolescents to stay physically active on a regular basis. Participating in sport not only helps to improve physical fitness, but it can also help children and youth develop an interest in physical activity and health that will continue throughout their lives. There are also psychological benefits to keeping fit. Building self-esteem and camaraderie and developing problem-solving skills in a team or club setting are a few of the bonuses kids receive by participating in sports.

Schools are an ideal setting to organize sport activities. Access to physical education, physical activity and sport in schools provides many benefits for children and youth, including:

• better health and quality of life;
• improved psychological well-being;
• improved behaviour and ability to learn;
• higher scholastic performance;
• good health habits; and
• an appreciation for physical activity and sport.

Introduction to various fundamental movement skills, presented in a fun manner, can be part of a well-rounded physical education, or what some call ‘physical literacy’. Check out the new Sport Parent’s Guide. The goal of this booklet is to help you understand the needs of young athletes and what may be done to promote their best interests in staying active and healthy.

If you would like to organize a sport activity in a school setting you may want to draw on the expertise and resources of potential partners like local recreation centres and sport clubs.

Parents and caregivers have a unique opportunity to help their kids try a new sport or improve their skills in a sport they already enjoy.

If you are taking your family away on vacation, consider including activities that involve physical activity, such as going to the beach.

Enrolling your kids in a sport program delivered by a qualified instructor, even if it’s just for a short period of time, can help them improve their skills, meet new friends and have fun. It is also a great occasion for you to be active with your kids so they can show you what they’ve learned.

To fully enjoy a season of sports, kids need to properly condition themselves. Performing extracurricular physical activities such as hiking or playing outdoors with friends can help kids to keep their muscles limber before donning a team uniform.

Good warm-up and cool-down sessions also help growing muscles avoid injury and strain. For more information on playing safe, check out the Safety Tips for Parents & Caregivers. 

Also, many national and provincial/territorial sport organizations are willing to establish links with schools and can be useful partners. A list of national sport organizations (NSOs) is available at www.pch.gc.ca/progs/sc/federations/index_e.cfm.

Other useful partners to consider include:

• the Coaching Association of Canada (www.coach.ca) – check out their coaching tips;
• the Canadian Sport for Life website (www.ltad.ca) to learn how to deliver sport programs that are development age-appropriate;
• the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport (CAAWS) (www.caaws.ca) – look for Girls@Play;
• the Canada Games Council (www.canadagames.ca) – see their Canada Games Day resources;
• The Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) (www.cahperd.ca) – consider their Quality Daily Physical Education resources); and
• SportFit (www.sportfitcanada.com) – check out this online sport education program that matches a student's personal preferences and physical attributes with a number of summer and winter sports.  

Are you organizing or leading a sport activity in your community? This is a great occasion to inform other parents and children of the opportunities and resources that exist to overcome barriers to sport participation, particularly for under-represented groups, such as girls and women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, and the economically disadvantaged.

One example is the community-based Canadian Tire ‘JumpStart’ program, which helps kids in need participate in organized sport and recreational activities (www.canadiantire.ca/jumpstart).

Other national resource websites include:

1. True Sport (www.truesportpur.ca) (check the Bell Community Sport Fund);
2. KidSport (www.kidsport.ca);
3. the Aboriginal Sport Circle (www.aboriginalsportcircle.ca);
4. the Canadian Blind Sports Association (www.canadianblindsports.org);
5. the Canadian Deaf Sports Association (www.assc-cdsa.com);
6. the Canadian Paralympic Committee (www.paralympic.ca);
7. Special Olympics Canada (www.specialolympics.ca);
8. the Canadian Wheelchair Sport Association (www.cwsa.ca); and
9. the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (www.ccpsa.ca).

Everyone can find a sport they enjoy in an organized or a casual setting, through skill development programs or league games, at the fitness club or recreation centre, and above all with friends in fun and spontaneous outdoor games!

Participating in sport is a wonderful way to meet new people, enjoy the great outdoors, relax and feel great. Take up the challenge and enjoy being active through sport!