Guidelines: Even babies need simple, daily physical activities
From the Associated Press
WASHINGTON-Simple, daily activities are crucial building clocks for babies, toddlers and preschoolers in learning to walk, run or handle more advanced physical activities, say the first physical education guidelines for children so young. Too many youngsters are confined in strollers, baby seats or playpens for long periods, says the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

The group issued the guidelines yesterday for parents, day care centers and preschools. "We 'containerize' kids" to keep them safe while parents are busy, said Michigan State University exercise physiologist Jim Pivarnik, a co-author of the guidelines. Instead, give them a safe environment and "let them out, let them explore, let them move." The goal is a common-sense, fun activities-and making physical activity part of normal, everyday life in hopes that the children will not grow up to be among the 60 percent of Americans who are overweight couch potatoes.
Many parents assume skills such as rolling, sitting and working will just come naturally as babies grow, said Jan Clark of the University of Maryland, who led the panel of movement and pediatric specialist who wrote the "Active Start" guidelines. But "you have to provide that environment that hooks the brain up to the muscles," she said. Because young children naturally move around a lot, many caregivers assume they are getting all the physical activity they need. But different activites are needed at different ages to spur development, Clark added.

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