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A revolutionary work that guides new parents in helping their baby form healthy movements, strong muscles, and a fit body during the child's critical first year of life, filled with vital information and over 400 full-color photographs that clearly show how to create a strong foundation for a baby's musculoskeletal health and future wellness A child's first steps are one of the great miracles in life—one we think of as a natural, essential, intuitive process. But just as new parents foster positive digestive, emotional, and intellectual growth, we cannot leave it to nature and instinct alone to ensure that infants develop the strong musculoskeletal foundation they need. Little bodies are malleable: nerves are elongating, bones are hardening, muscles are strengthening—newborns are a never-ending process of physical change. The problem is that the car seat, the bouncer, the carrier, the crib, the pack-n-play—the very devices modern parents depend on for hands-free parenting—leave that precious developing bundle at the mercy of gravity and passive, bodyweight-based alignment.Shaping Your Baby's Foundation gives new parents the information they need to safely and effectively build their baby's muscle tone, strengthen the child's growing body, and set their newborn on the path for a lifetime of wellness. Shaping Your Baby's Foundation isn't about hitting milestones (for example, walking early can mean a child missed some key areas of strengthening at earlier stages), it's about growing well. Jen Goodman gives parents the tools they need to give their baby a body that will be strong and balanced by the time the child is vertical. By helping a baby meet gravity's challenges during the first year of life, this book vastly increases the chances of that baby later remaining strong, fit, and healthy as a toddler, teen, and adult.Written in Goodman's gentle and accessible, yet authoritative, voice, and aided by over 400 full-color photographs to guide parents step-by-step through the first year of their baby's life, Shaping Your Baby's Foundation is a revolutionary parenting bible for a new generation.

The present monograph expands the current knowledge of the relationships between the behaviour of parents and their offspring in terms of step counts, screen time, and overweight/obesity in children. Although the current literature emphasizes a clear and quantifiable association between objectively monitored free-living physical activity of parents and their children, there is little clarification on how these relationships vary during school days and weekends in comparison with single-child families and families with more children. Revealing the patterns of parent-child behaviour provides an overview of the lifestyle of families with children aged 4-16 and is a source of valuable information for designing and implementing family-based intervention programmes to combat childhood obesity.

Over the past three decades the study of pediatric physical inactivity has become a public health concern. The decreases in physical activity have been associated with obesity and numerous hypokinetic diseases. In accordance with this public health concern, the study of pediatric physical activity has become a central part of research in the health and exercise science fields.The Routledge Handbook of Youth Physical Activity is the first book to survey the full depth and breadth of the issues facing this field. Bringing together many of the world's experts and practitioners, the book helps to develop an understanding of the underlying issues related to pediatric physical activity as well as the role physical activity plays on cognitive, psychomotor, and social aspects of childhood. The book addresses issues with physical activity measurement and discuss wide-ranging aspects of physical activity interventions. With more emphasis than ever on physical activity, this book makes an important contribution to the scholars and practitioners working in the field of youth physical activity.This is the first single text on the state of current knowledge related to pediatric physical activity which offers a comprehensive guide to students and academics on these subjects The Routledge Handbook of Youth Physical Activity is key reading for all advanced students, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers with an interest in physical activity, youth sport, public health matters, sport studies, or physical education.

Are children playing less than they used to? Are rising obesity rates linked to a decline in children's time to play freely? These and other related questions have filled the pages of newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals for the past decade. Researchers and journalists have attributed these issues to societal changes around children's lives and leisure, the growth of structured and organised activities and increasing perceptions of risk in children's play. Play, Physical Activity and Public Health presents a discussion of the way modern notions of play are rendering children's leisure activities less free and less engaged in simply for fun. Based on original qualitative research, and analysis of contemporary media from Canada and elsewhere, this book argues that the growing health concerns around childhood play entail a paradox: by advocating, promoting, discussing, and re-directing children's play, a new form of children's leisure is emerging - one that is purpose-driven, instrumentalised for health, and ultimately, less free. We explore how play has become goal-oriented, a means to health ends, and how the management of pleasure in play as well as diverse risk discourses around play continue to limit and constrain possibilities for children and families to play and engage in leisure freely. Incorporating past critiques of this trend in play, we argue for research and practice to create new possibilities and ways of thinking about children's play, leisure, fun and childhood, that are less constrained and managed, and importantly less geared towards health goals. This is a valuable resource for students of the sociology of sport, kinesiology, sports and health psychology, education, public health, and childhood studies. It is also an important read for school teachers, public health practitioners, psychologists, physical education teachers, academics and parents interested in how children's leisure lives are being shaped by the growing and diverse discussions around play.

Conditioning for Young Athletes provides coaches, instructors, teachers, and parents of future sport stars the best training advice, exercises, and programs for establishing an overall fitness base and maximizing athletic development for youth. This authoritative guide includes numerous exercises that safely increase young athletes'coordination, flexibility, speed, strength, and endurance. It contains a proven regimen geared to three developmental phases, long- and short-term training plans, and specific programs for sports such as baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, and track and field. Tudor Bompa brings you the expertise that has helped train everyone from youth athletes to Olympic champions. Together with Michael Carrera, he provides parents, teachers, and coaches with more than 182 exercises appropriate for children ages 6 to 18. These exercises take into consideration critical factors such as a child's developmental stage, motor functioning, and sex-specific considerations to ensure that the workouts do not hinder development and growth. Regardless of the sport, Conditioning Young Athletes has you covered with ready-to-use programs for both short-term and long-term development.

80 movement activities for preschoolers and kindergartnersPhysical education is a critical part of every early childhood curriculum. Children need to move to channel their energies in creative, beneficial ways and to learn habits for lifelong health and fitness. Preschoolers and Kindergartners Moving & Learning provides 80 developmentally appropriate activities that contribute to a well-rounded curriculum in any classroom or program.The book containsAn updated introduction reflecting new research and trends in early childhood health and fitness and information on how movement benefits children's learning and developmentTwenty lesson plans, each with one body parts activity, one nonlocomotor activity, one locomotor skill experience, and one activity exploring an element of movement, for a total of 80 activitiesExtension ideas and adaptations to use with children who have special needsCurriculum connections for each activity and explanations about how activities are aligned with and meet early learning standards from NAEYC and AAHPERDOriginal music to add joy and energy to the activities

This easy-to-use guide provides essential tools for raising well-nourished, active children who will make lifelong healthy choices. Engaging, practical, and filled with quick tips, this is a must read for the busy parent trying to navigate the challenging world of kids and food. An ideal book for parents, schools, churches, and community groups. Recipes are included.

Addressing the childhood obesity crisis that is facing today's youth, this simple and effective guide to exercise and nutrition provides a comprehensive plan for encouraging children to live healthier, more active lifestyles. Not limited to diet alone, this guide examines the psychology behind sports and how parents can help to positively encourage their children to participate. Reducing the use of technology, keeping healthy sleep patterns, minimizing snacking, and staying hydrated are topics also addressed in this handbook, which helps parents make healthy lifestyles fun and exciting.