'Does God take baths?'
'Why don't girl dogs cock their legs to widdle?'
'But if only Mummies feed babies, why do boys have nipples?'
Are some fielded recently in my house.

Healthy children are programmed from birth to learn by observation, copying
and how their world reacts to them and with them.

Physical activity leads to mental stimulation too as our children learn
co-ordination and spatial skills, catching and throwing proficiency and how
to play together.
Encouraging children to be active is the best thing any parent can do
because both brain and body are working and learning.

Many parents have said to me, 'But my kids aren't sporty, no one in our
family is, so what do I do about activity?'
All kids are different and there are hundreds of ways of stimulating a love
of activity in non-sporty children.

Younger children love party games:
Cut paper fish, about 30cm long from a magazine. Lay them on the floor and
flap a magazine or folded newspaper directly behind them, making the fish
leap. You and your child will get a lot of amusement out of trying to make
them go the length of the room, round a chair and back again.
If your children love dancing, then there are a myriad of cultural options,
from Samoan sasa, to belly-dancing, limbo and even the Bird Dance.
One family I know mute TV commercials and dance until the programme they
were watching resumes. This gets the circulation going again as well as
promoting grace and co-ordination. They currently have a competition to find
and learn as many new ethnic dances as they can. This is also teaching their
children about other cultures and geography. It is great to play music for the children to dance along to; some great children's music known globally is now available through the GKA Shop.

A trip to museums or art galleries will have artistic kids walking miles
before they realise it, in pursuit of their particular interest. Those with
an interest in botany or ornithology could catalogue local flowers and birds
in a scrapbook.
Or create your own Treasure Hunt where the children have to find pre-hidden
things within a given time.
Water play and swimming is an invaluable way of helping children keep safe
whilst using all the muscle groups. Older children may like to visit a
marine reserve where snorkeling is allowed.
Whether your child is quiet, shy, academic, sporty, musical, studious,
ebullient or hesitant, there are always activities they can enjoy. It's
simply a case of tailoring it to your child's personality.

Lynda Finn - author of 'Healthy Kids, Happy Kids'

Note: Lynda will be regularly writing for GetKidsActive.com so keep checking back here for more of her great ideas and tips on how to motivate your child to get active and live a healthy life.