Need help with 9 year ols

benol1

My 12 year old son also came home with a poor fitness test result from school. The answer is to get your son more active. Get him involved in some outdoor actvity/sport that he enjoys. Perhaps something you can do together.
All the best,

Ben

primal_cupcakes

Is he kind?
Is he healthy?
Does he have activities he enjoys?

If so, there is no need for concern that he doesn't fit government standards for how 9 yr olds should be physically.

This reminds me the modern day fable "Animal School"

Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something to meet the standards of the world. So they organized a school.
They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.
The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact better than his instructor, but he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school, so nobody worried about that except the duck.
The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but had a nervous breakdown because of so much make-up work in swimming.
The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He also developed a "charlie horse" from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and a "D" in running.
The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way to get there so was deducted points for not following the approved method.
.....

^This is a cool story. Thank you.

JoRocka

This is madness!

Testing little kids and making them feel inadequate because they can't run to a certain speed or do a bunch of sit-ups is like some kind of brown-shirt nightmare.

What happened to letting kids be kids?

As long as he is getting some fresh air and engaging in some physical activities appropriate to his age (which you say he is), then I wouldn't worry about him being an olympian just yet.

Not really, 9 year olds aren't toddlers anymore. Children that age should be doing some sort of physical activity that challenges them. The habits that a 9 year old forms may set the stage for his future health. You're not doing a kid any favors by waiting until they're in high school and then telling them it's time to start exercising. At that point the kid will think that they're just naturally not athletic, when in reality they've just never been in shape.

I used to play all sorts of sports throughout elementary school, and I clearly remember how out of shape and slow I got during the off season b/w sports. If I had never played those sports I probably would have just thought that I was slow and not good at running or sports. Nor would I have been able to make any of the sports teams I played on during highs school, which taught me what my athletic limits were. Those memories made losing weight and getting back into shape a lot easier after letting myself go for awhile.

i have to agree with this. by 9/10 you should have doing SOME thing. I think i could do push ups by the time I was 4/5. In middle school I did more chin ups than any other kid in my class. i was an average runner and not particularly suited for many sports- I did ride horses- and worked on a ranch- so that kept me busy and strong- but I could do full military style push ups- because well that's the family I grew up in.

My other family had his kids running the by the time they were in there early teens- one didn't like it- she took up swimming- I think she's like 14 now- and he said she had to pick a training program or continue to run with him... she picked P90X... all on her own.

At 9 there should be SOME sort of something going on. organized or not.

MB_Positif

My son who is 7 has run up to two miles with me and he loves it. We also play tennis together. He lifts weight with me too. We keep them light (except because I love deadlifts, he always wants to do more...he has deadlifted 45 pounds). He only weighs 43 pounds and is very very thin. It's completely fine for him to exercise with you. That said, not everyone meets those standards and that is ok too.

JulieAnn72

Thank you for all of the responses!

My son does play golf right now, but that's not helping with his running speed or strength. He does enjoy it though, and it is helping with overall fitness, I'm sure, since he has to walk 9 holes once or twice a week.

He has played some team sports in the past. He has tried flag football and soccer. Over the summer, he mentioned he might like to try basketball, so I think I'll see if we can get him into that for the winter when he won't be golfing as much.

We do limit screen time to 2 hours a day max. He spends a lot of time playing with his friends outside and inside.

This morning, I decided not to workout and he came in to my room and seemed disappointed. So I got up and showed him how to do pushups on the railing in the hallway instead of on the ground. He was excited to be able to them that way. Then he wanted to show me how he can do situps, so he did 10 while I held his feet. I encouraged him to do a few pushups and situps each day and he seems interested.

Friday is walk to school day so we'll definitely do that. I'll make more of an effort to get both of my kids outside moving around more often.

rml_16

Thanks. He plays outside just about every day, but it's not like he's out there doing pushups, lifting heavy things or running laps with his friends. They have a blast outside, but it's clear he's not building any strength out there.

They don't climb trees or play baseball or anything like that? Tag? Hide and seek?

Those were the things we did and I never had a problem passing the physical fitness tests.

randomtai

I have a 9 year old as well, and I can't stand those "physical fitness tests". All they do is make kids feel bad about themselves. Let kids be kids.

SezxyStef

Your son is a healthy weight and height for his age (check growth charts) 75th percentile for weight and 105 percentile for his height... healthy kid ( tall tho...so I suspect that is what makes him look thin) My son was in the 50th percentile for weight...over 100 for height until the rest of the kids caught up with him. But that being said he apparently is not very active. My son at the same age was climbing trees, running, playing, biking, hiking...you name it he did it and he was a strong kid he didn't do organized sports until he was 12...then it wa rugby cause he was strong...not hockey he is uncordinated..no basketball his shot is horrible...

Organized sports could help but that is expensive...kids need to play outside....do things that challenage him...my nephew who is the same age helps throw the wood in....rakes leaves with his father, climbs trees, climbs on monkey bars...

But that being said all these people who are saying it is madness to test this...are you aware that north american children are on average overweight and/or obese....many are getting type 2 diabetes in their early years....my own neice had to have her gall bladder removed due to her poor diet and obesity.

1 in 3 kids in the US are now classed as overweight and/or obese....that is madness. I may get bashed for this but the problem is that people don't want their kids to feel "bad"...that they don't measure up...that whole "no kid left behind" mentailty that has gone too far...where there are no losers all winners and get a medal for showing up...give me a break.:grumble:

dandelyon

You would think that he is already getting exercise, since he is obviously in PE. I guess I would ask him if he wants to get faster at running, or if he wants to take up a sport, and follow his lead.

It sounds like he would like to be in better shape but needs guidance. I went running with my son in the mornings all summer. We ran a 5k together and he beat me, I'm sure that felt great to him :P

markpmc

My 9 yo is 5' even, about 115 lbs and seems a bit chubby. He's currently in Fall Soccer (competed 5 years), just tried out for basketball (competed 4 years) and will roll into fast pitch baseball (5 years again) in the spring. I've been his team coach all the way. Just make the decision to get him active, he'll follow and have a good time along the way.

My son is among the slowest in his class. No reason for concern. The tall kids always develop speed later than the little guys. That said my kid did indeed pick out his own workout. The Spartan Workout from Men's Health. He does it twice a week w/ 5 lb DBs. It's helped his overall coordination.

bcattoes

Please, please, please, discuss with your child's pediatrician. If s/he is not concerned then neither should you be. This forum that is open to the world is not a place to ask about your child's health. Children grow and develop at different rates. Please don’t put pressure on your child needlessly.

jlemoore

This is madness!

Testing little kids and making them feel inadequate because they can't run to a certain speed or do a bunch of sit-ups is like some kind of brown-shirt nightmare.

What happened to letting kids be kids?

As long as he is getting some fresh air and engaging in some physical activities appropriate to his age (which you say he is), then I wouldn't worry about him being an olympian just yet.

^^^this! Couldn't agree with you more. What happened to letting kids play and be kids. Now everything is standardized.

randomtai

Please, please, please, discuss with your child's pediatrician. If s/he is not concerned then neither should you be. This forum that is open to the world is not a place to ask about your child's health. Children grow and develop at different rates. Please don’t put pressure on your child needlessly.

This this this this!!!!!!!!

kenzietate

9 years old is not too young to start working out but I think it is important to make it fun and not just something they have to do. My family always worked out and played together. When my mom would do her workout, we would do what we could. I was doing diamond cross-legged pushups by the time I was 11. We enjoyed working out. We always played outside whether it was some made up version of baseball or cops and robbers. We just gained strength naturally through playing and later playing sports. Maybe instead of taking him to run for a whole mile (that is long to start with) get him to play some games. Maybe go outside and play tag, or man hunt. Have a family outdoor day where you just play games. Start a family workout time. Keep track of the number of pushups and situps everyone can do and when goals are met have a family movie night where the person who met the goals gets to pick the movie. Just make things fun and they will want to do it forever.

darrensurrey

Knee push ups. Yes, get him to go running with you.

I would also get him to start some kind of sport. Something like a martial art or even a team sport. Anything that he will enjoy.

When I was around that age, my dad would take me cycling in the local country roads. Was good fun exploring.

logicman69

I was the same way when I was 9. I could not do pushups to save my life and running was just out of the question. I did grow out of it and everything kind of "evened out" if you will. By the time I was in HS, I was playing sports (Basketball, Vollyball, Competitive Skiing, Skateboarding). If you want to help your son, just promote a healthy environment where proper diet and "exercise" are part of your daily routine. I don't mean he should be weight lifting or doing Insanity, but maybe go on nature walks on the weekends, play catch before dinner, or just let him play outside.

Tymeshia

I would suggest exercise challengse during watching TV. During the commercials try to do as many push up, situp etc. It could be a good time for the both of you. that way you can implement it daily.

rml_16

I have a 9 year old as well, and I can't stand those "physical fitness tests". All they do is make kids feel bad about themselves. Let kids be kids.

My sophomore year, they brought out the calipers and started measuring everyone's body fat. After day one, parents threw a royal fit and it stopped.

It was ridiculous.

SterlingArcher2

A good question and I'm going through this now.

My 8 year old is somewhat similar, tall for his age but has the weight to go with it. That said, what I've seen are boys who are tall for their age have difficultly becuase they have a larger "frame" to manage. Shorter, more compact kids, his age are quick and have a better sense of balance becuae there's not as much body to account for. I know this sounds old school but as he matures he'll grow into it.

As far as the testing, our school does it and it's to encourage the kids to want to stay healthy. Of course it can backfire if your kid gets discouraged. It's just a bench mark so focus on what he can do and likes.

Regarding PE in schools, sorry but it's a joke any more. Just organized chaos. All my son does is run laps, play capture the flag, or kickball.

The comments about climbing are great. We do hiking with the cub scouts, and swimming (we're in Florida) and he loves it. The half push-ups are what my son does to. Again, a lot of "body" to manage.

The fact that you're involved with him is AWESOME! Keep up the good work mom!

airant

Not really, 9 year olds aren't toddlers anymore. Children that age should be doing some sort of physical activity that challenges them. The habits that a 9 year old forms may set the stage for his future health. You're not doing a kid any favors by waiting until they're in high school and then telling them it's time to start exercising. At that point the kid will think that they're just naturally not athletic, when in reality they've just never been in shape.

I used to play all sorts of sports throughout elementary school, and I clearly remember how out of shape and slow I got during the off season b/w sports. If I had never played those sports I probably would have just thought that I was slow and not good at running or sports. Nor would I have been able to make any of the sports teams I played on during highs school, which taught me what my athletic limits were. Those memories made losing weight and getting back into shape a lot easier after letting myself go for awhile.
[/quote]

^^^^ Agree