Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Apropriate Activity [Paperback]

Rae Pica (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2003

A guide to protecting children under eight years old from becoming either lethargic or high-strung

Today, many children fall into one of two categories, neither of which is healthy: one group is almost entirely inactive, and the other spends most of their "free" time in highly structured, overly stressful competitive sports that are age-inappropriate.

As an expert on children's movement and development, and as a consultant to the Children's Television Workshop, Gymboree, YMCA of the USA, and other groups, Rae Pica shows how the right kinds of activities increase children's enjoyment of physical activity for a lifetime. With straight talk on what works, what doesn't, and why, Pica teaches parents:

• Why raising a Super Kid is as dangerous as raising a Couch Potato
• Unique activity ideas and the benefits of "cooperative activities"
• How to recognize when a child is too active or not active enough
• Why competitive sports programs aren't the answer
• And much more

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Rae Pica has put together a wonderful resource of information and advice for parents on movement, physical activity, motor skills, fitness, sports, and good old 'active play'! In its pages parents, educators, and health professionals will find the answers to important questions that come up over and over again."
--Christine L. Williams, M.D., M.P.H., professor of clinical pediatrics, Columbia University, and author of Healthy Start

"Rae Pica provides practical information that will help parents make good choices to benefit the 'whole development' of young children, both physically, socially/emotionally, and intellectually."
--Dr. Rebecca Isbell, director of the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Learning and Development, East Tennessee State University

"This book is one of the finest, most comprehensive resources on why children need to move. It is packed with real-world practical suggestions and fits with the latest brain research. Bravo!"
--Eric Jensen, author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind

"A wealth of information that enables parents to be a vital part of their child's healthy development."
--Rhonda Clements, president of the American Association for the Child's Right to Play

You may be surprised to discover that too much or too little activity are equally damaging to young children. In Your Active Child, Rae Pica helps you instill a genuine love for physical activity early in your child's life. She outlines many age-appropriate activities and play based on the stage of your child's development, from infancy to preadolescence.

Your Active Child covers:

• How to keep children active and busy without having them "burn out"
• The Five Fitness Factors to age-appropriate activity
• The falsehoods involved in giving babies a "head start" by enrolling them in infant swim and exercise programs
• Types of toys and games that are age-appropriate and effective in your child's physical development
• Tips for getting sedentary children to be active without overwhelming them or hurting them physically
• Game ideas and fun activities for infants through eight-year-olds

About the Author

Rae Pica is a movement education consultant and the founder of Moving &Learning. She is an adjunct faculty with the kinesiology department at the University of New Hampshire, and is a frequent keynote speaker at professional and academic conferences.

She is also the author of Experiences in Movement and the YMCA Preschool Movement and Health Program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 302 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071405585
• ISBN-13: 978-0071405584
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,027,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have been a children's physical activity specialist since 1980. A former adjunct instructor with the University of New Hampshire, I'm the author of 18 books, including the award-winning Great Games for Young Children, the Moving & Learning Series, and A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity, and Free Time Create a Successful Child, written for the parents of children birth to age eight. I present workshops and keynote speeches for parents and professionals throughout North America and have been privileged to share my expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, Centers for Disease Control, Nickelodeon's 'Blue's Clues,' and a number of state health departments. I also served on the task force of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) that created Active Start: A Statement of Physical Activity Guidelines for Children Birth to Five Years, and I serve on several advisory boards. Oh, and I'm the founder and director of Moving & Learning!

I currently live on a lake in Center Barnstead, New Hampshire, with my three fabulous and funny cats but am hoping to move someplace "without winter" in the very near future!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray! An inspiring "How To" reference for ALL parents, January 12, 2004

By 

Carolyn Werner (Derry, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Apropriate Activity (Paperback)

I have half a mind to buy 10 copies for friends and family.

The author has depicted beautifully, not only how important it is to keep our kids active but, to make sure they don't get too much exercise as well. It never occurred to me that too much activity can actually cause harm.

I have two small boys and often struggle with whether or not I do enough to keep them active. It seems most of their friends play soccer, gym class, basketball, music lessons, arts & crafts, etc. The list goes on and on. I feel much better after reading this book that I'm not over-scheduling them. After all, they are only two and four.

This book offers FUN, practicle, simple ideas for age-appropriate activities. I keep this book on the kitchen counter as I plan my days.

My life is forever changed. I am far more motivated to set a good example for my children to follow with regard to exercising (my husband sure does). I want them to develop a life-long love for exercise, to stay fit and healthy. I find it wonderful that my boys now refer to going to the playground as "can we go exercise?" There are no negative connotations to exercise in my house.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Rae Pica!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dream Come True, September 29, 2003

By 

John Dutrow (Bowie, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Apropriate Activity (Paperback)

This book is a "must read" for the parents of young children. Having been a part of the coaching staff and the Board of Directors of a traditional youth sport program, I witnessed a lot that put my stomach in knots. I have spent several years since then reading professional journals and academic texts to help me to understand how to provide for a child's intrinsic interest in movement, play and sport without all of the negative outcomes that come with overzealous youth sport programs. I often wished that others would do some of the reading with me, but parents of young children have other demands on their time. Finally a book has appeared that is full of sound science and practical application. And, it is written for parents, not researchers and academics, even though I know this will be a welcome addition to their library as well. Although it may take hours of reading in professional journals and textbooks to realize just how valuable this book is, I'm here to tell you that I wish I had a book like this one when I started my serious reading in this area. The author provides numerous citations to reputable web sites, organizations, and other written resources for further exploration if you want or need more information on a specific topic. I am particularly impressed with the author's position that more is not always better. There are dangers to overscheduling our children. Thus, it is even more important that we as parents carefully evaluate the programs in which we do place our children. I now realize the importance of child-directed play and the time that needs to be allowed for all of the rich learning that comes with it. Your Active Child is a book you will want to read and keep handy as a reference as your child develops throughout childhood.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not What I was Looking For, January 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Apropriate Activity (Paperback)

I was very disappointed with this book. What parent/child doesn't know about hitting balloons around? Playing Follow the Leader? Or putting babies on their stomachs to strengthen their bodies since they are supposed to be sleeping on their backs all the time. Or putting objects ahead of them to encourage moving toward the toy? It is filled with what I feel is common knowledge--health risks of inactivity, kids' organized sports pros & cons, "motor milestones" for infants. I was looking for some creative ideas for small children, especially ideas on keeping active during the winter and bad weather. I was expecting many suggestions on simple, inexpensive ideas for active play, ratings of active play equipment, suggestions for some toys good for active play (beyond hoola hoops, balls, etc.). I didn't gain one good new idea from reading the whole book. But, I was glad to see the much hated Dodge Ball is now banned in many schools!