Or not.
A study of more than 5,000 kindergarten students and first-graders from more than 300 schools across the country found that children are more likely to gain weight over the summer than during school months. Although summer is the traditional time for swimming, riding bicycles and other physical activities, more children are spending time in sedentary activities like watching TV and playing video games during the summer.
A separate study from the University of Wisconsin of overweight middle school students found that while they improved their fitness scores during the school year, all these beneficial changes were lost over the three-month summer break.
Nutrition expert Susan Nitzke of the University of Wisconsin advises parents to share physical activities with their children, eat meals together as much as possible, limit television and video games, keep junk food out of the house, enroll children in summer camps and programs, and give children gifts that encourage physical activity, such as jump ropes and balls.
Labels: weight_gain, summers
Posted By: Aspen/CRC
