ASU Research E-Magazine: Time to P.L.A.Y.

Facts are facts and when they deal with inactivity. In America circa 1999, the facts are rather grim.

In the United States today, one of every two youngsters, ages 12 to 21, is not active on a regular basis. Six of 10 adults get little or no exercise. Obesity rates have increased 54 percent among children ages 6 to 11. The country is filling up with sluggos.

Arizona State University researcher Bob Pangrazi works with the Arizona Department of Health Services to help address the issue. He has developed a program called P.L.A.Y., short for Promoting Lifetime Activity for Youth. The program does just that. It teaches kids the importance of being active for at least 30 minutes each and every day.

P.L.A.Y. stresses that activity can come in short 5 to 10 minute bursts. The program also teaches specific activities that can be done in any weather or location. Staying active is easier when it is lifestyle-oriented. Simply walking or running around one’s yard can work.

The program begins with lots of teacher prompts to get children up and moving. Students even keep activity journals for several weeks.

“Now in its third year, P.L.A.Y. has more than 45,000 Arizona kids up and moving,” Pangrazi says. “We teach kids to get active five times per day, regardless of whether they are alone or with friends, indoors or out.”

The program pushes other key messages as well. Exercise does not have to be boring. And kids do not have to run until they are sick to be healthy.

Several easy to read P.L.A.Y. brochures offer specific activities for different situations. Following are a few suggestions to get children active at home.

When you are all alone with nothing to do:

Turn on the radio and dance
Thrill mom or dad by vacuuming the house
Shoot hoops
Rake the leaves
Hopscotch or in-line skate

Activities for groups:

Play tag or hide and seek
Play indoor volleyball with a balloon
Jump rope
Have a limbo contest
Play some type of ball

Activities for cold weather:

Ice skate
Shovel snow off your driveway
Make snowmen or snow angels
Practice throwing snowballs at a tree
Go sled riding

Indoor activities:

Shoot hoops using a paper “basketball”
Run up and down the stairs
Practice your karate moves
Mop the floor
Keep hitting a balloon up in the air.

—Lindsey Michaels