My Gym: Kids have Fun with a Home Gymnasium

Every parent knows that children love to play, but increasingly we see our kids spending all their time on sedentary activities like computer games and watching television. Meanwhile, the media tell us that childhood obesity is on the rise. What can be done to encourage kids to enjoy healthy activities?

If you have the space for it, there's nothing quite like creating a children's gymnasium in your home.

Although it may sound daunting, a children's gymnasium is in fact easy to construct. The first thing to consider is suitable flooring. Active play will inevitably mean the occasional fall, so your children will need something soft to land on. Thick rubberized matting is best, and it's available in a variety of colors.

Consult your children on the color scheme they'd prefer. It's important that they be directly involved if they're going to feel enthusiastic about your children's gymnasium project.

All children love to climb, so a children's gymnasium should include climbing opportunities. Wall bars are a tidy solution and are easy to construct or to purchase from children's gymnasium suppliers. Lengths of rope firmly secured to the ceiling are another favorite. Children also need props which they can include in games, so every children's gymnasium should include things like balls and beanbags.

A children's gymnasium should be designed for games. Unlike adults, kids are not willing to sit on an exercise machine repeating the same activity for half an hour or more. Provide them with things to jump over, beams to walk along and tunnel to crawl through, then join them in inventing games which make use of these facilities.

When they learn how much fun their children's gymnasium can be, they won't want to stop playing in it. You'll no longer have difficulty getting them to exercise - you'll have difficulty getting them to stop!