How parents can support the Let's Move! campaign in Chicago

By Elizabeth Diffin
Friday, March 01, 2013

Nike's Vice President of Access to Sport, Lisa MacCallum, at the Let's Move! Active Schools kick-off in Chicago. [Photo by Alaina Buzas / Digital Content Editor]

First Lady returns to Chicago to launch Let's Move! Active Schools campaign

New campaign focuses on increasing physical activity for kids in 50,000 schools over the next five years.

Yesterday, First Lady Michelle Obama and representatives from Nike announced the new Let's Move! Active Schools campaign, which aims to create early, positive experiences for kids in sport and physical activity, and to integrate physical activity into everyday life. But what can parents do at home to support these same objectives? We spoke to Nike's Vice President of Access to Sport, Lisa MacCallum, to find out.

How can parents embrace and support this initiative?

The role of parents is critical in shaping the relationship with kids and activity. The first 10 years is a very critical window. Those who have fun and positive experiences with physical activity are much more likely to adopt those behaviors.

What about for parents who aren't very physically active themselves?

We have found that children who have one inactive parent are three times as likely to be inactive themselves; those who have two inactive parents are six times as likely. The role of parents is absolutely essentially. The number one thing is to choose to make family time active time. Visit letsmove.gov/active-families for some ideas of how to do that.

For kids who aren't naturally "athletic," what can they do?

Kids are designed to move. They love it. When kids are given the chance to move, they light up. We have to figure out how to tap into that. It's not about elite sports. There are a variety of activities where they can get engaged.