Don’t Just Tell Kids to Move, Let Them See You Move

Encouraging children to be active is important. New research suggests that encouragement may be more meaningful when children also see the adults in their lives being active.

Welcome to Worcester Fitness Science Friday, where our team shares recent health and fitness research that we believe our members, families, and friends may find interesting.

Worcester Fitness did not conduct this study. We are sharing independent research and placing it in context with current federal physical activity guidance.

What Did the Study Examine?

Researchers analyzed information from 18,479 parent-child pairs participating in a large physical activity and fitness study in Shanghai, China. The children and adolescents were between 9 and 18 years old.

The researchers examined two types of parental support:

• Parents verbally encouraging their children to be active
• Parents regularly participating in physical activity themselves

They then looked at whether the children reported meeting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendations and how they performed on standardized fitness assessments.

What Did the Researchers Find?

Verbal encouragement alone was not clearly associated with children meeting activity recommendations or achieving higher fitness standards.

Having a physically active parent was associated with better odds of both outcomes. The strongest associations appeared when parents combined their own physical activity with verbal encouragement.

Compared with children receiving neither form of support:

• Children with physically active parents had moderately better odds of meeting activity and fitness benchmarks.
• Children whose parents were active and offered verbal encouragement had the strongest results.
• Verbal encouragement without an active parental example showed no clear association with either outcome.

The takeaway is not that encouraging words are unimportant. It is that children may respond differently when the message they hear is reinforced by the behavior they see.

Why an Active Example May Matter

Children learn many behaviors by watching the people around them. Physical activity can become easier to understand and more familiar when it is a visible part of family life.

An active example does not require a parent to be an accomplished athlete. It could mean taking a walk, attending a fitness class, swimming, strength training or choosing an active family activity on the weekend.

The federal Move Your Way initiative similarly encourages adults to serve as role models. It suggests dancing, practicing yoga, sharing a favorite sport or simply allowing children to see adults enjoying movement. Move Your Way

How Much Activity Do Children Need?

The CDC recommends that children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 receive at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day.

Most of that time should be aerobic activity. Vigorous aerobic exercise, muscle-strengthening activity, and bone-strengthening activity should each be included on at least three days per week. Activities should be age-appropriate, varied and enjoyable. Physical Activity Basics

That hour does not have to happen all at once. Walking the dog, riding a bicycle, swimming, dancing, playing outside, participating in sports, and helping with active household tasks can all contribute.

Five Realistic Ways to Model an Active Lifestyle

1. Let Your Children See Your Routine

Talk openly about going for a walk, attending a class, or completing a workout. Present movement as a normal part of caring for yourself, not as a punishment for eating.

2. Create Active Family Time

Try a family walk, a trip to the pool, a bike ride, a backyard game, or a hike. The activity does not need to be complicated to be valuable.

3. Let Children Help Choose

Give children options and allow them to select an activity they enjoy. Enjoyment can make it feel less like another obligation.

4. Focus on Participation, Not Performance

Avoid making every activity about winning, speed, weight, or appearance. Celebrate effort, learning, and time spent together.

5. Keep the Expectations Realistic

Families are busy. Ten or fifteen minutes of movement at different points in the day can add up. Federal guidance specifically notes that children’s activity does not need to be completed in one continuous session. Move Your Way

What This Study Cannot Tell Us

This was a cross-sectional, observational study. It found associations at one point in time, but it cannot prove that active parents caused their children to become more active or physically fit.

Parents reported their own activity and encouragement, while the children reported their physical activity. Self-reported information can be affected by memory and perception.

The research was also conducted in Shanghai. Cultural, environmental, and educational differences may limit how completely the results apply to families in Central Massachusetts.

It is also possible that active children encourage their parents to move more, or that other family circumstances influence both parent and child activity.

The Worcester Fitness Takeaway

One study should never be treated as the final answer. Still, this research offers families a useful and encouraging idea: being a positive example may add meaning to the encouragement you already give.

At Worcester Fitness, we believe children benefit from seeing that movement can be enjoyable, social, and part of everyday life. You do not need to be the fastest, strongest, or most athletic person in the family. Showing up and finding ways to move that work for you may be the most powerful lesson of all.

If you would like help building a realistic exercise routine around your current abilities and goals, learn more about personal training at Worcester Fitness or start with a Worcester Fitness fitness assessment. You can also explore additional practical wellness information on the Worcester Fitness blog.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. The research discussed is observational and cannot establish that a particular type of physical activity causes or prevents dementia. Consult an appropriate healthcare professional before beginning or substantially changing an exercise program, particularly if you have a medical condition.