74 | November 2011 | woman this month Parenting and imagination and urge them to learn and experience more about what their bodies can do. A thirty minute session is more than enough, and that’s why Monkeynastix developed their programmes based on the average attention span of a child at different ages” Letitia adds. “Children from the age of six to eight years can increase their exercising activities to twice or in some cases three times a week for 35 to 40min per session and children older than eight years usually know what activities they prefer. Your child’s PE teacher can also assess them to see which activities they excel in. Some children might have better core strength compared to others. Or some might have better eye to hand coordination and do extremely well in ball sports”. Choosing a class Before enrolling a child in any programme or class, make sure you see the facilities first and meet the instructor. “If the instructor is not fully qualified in that field, walk out the door immediately. From a sport instructor’s point of view, I am fully aware of the fact that my wrong doing or instructions could potentially cause permanent damage to a child’s health or ability to live a normal life. This goes for self-esteem issues as well. The risk factor in high performance sports like gymnastics or kick boxing is exceptionally high compared to others, but as long as parents are aware of the dangers involved and their child is good at the sport, I don’t see why you should not pursue it. In these instances, you need to make sure that the instructor is fully qualified in first aid and check that emergency procedures will be followed, just in case. A child could just as easily get injured in the school playground or on the football field; my main concern is that, in case of an emergency, the coach or instructor will be able to take necessary action”, Letitia points out. Fun! Fun is probably the main motivator for most children and most adults too! If laughter is part of the session, who wouldn’t want to take part? Choose fun and stimulating activities where your child will constantly be learning new techniques and movements and be able to move up the skill ladder. “Group classes or levels of ability should be organised appropriately, as you can easily de-motivate a child if they compete against a group of children that are on a higher level compared to them”, Letitia explains. “Movement is as natural to children as breathing and almost as essential! “The Monkeynastix programme provides children with a myriad of different movement experiences and different contexts in order for them to discover the unlimited possibilities that exist in physical activity. Research shows that today’s children are not moving nearly as much as we did when we were children. Modern living and easy access to fast food, television and computers all contribute to the fact that children are more passive, generally overweight and in many cases obese”. It is, therefore, important for families to take time to do more activities together, so that exercising and caring about health become an accepted family value. It could be a game of tennis or ball games in the pool, but make it fun to ensure that your child wants more. Your child only has one body for life so make sure they know how to look after it! Monkeynastix Bahrain has been active in Bahrain for the past 3 years. The programme is fun, educational and non-competitive, builds self-confidence and a positive self image and focus on long term motivation for a healthy and active lifestyle. www.monkeynastix.net / [email protected]
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