It cannot have escaped the notice of responsible parents - the almost weekly reports on childhood health and the very real danger in our society that children are learning to be tomorrow’s couch potatoes. We all know that children are born with a desire to learn and sitting still is not in their dictionary, so why not harness these two qualities and encourage children to participate in sport?

The main problems for today’s parents are many and far too complex but a few simple patterns are evident in most cases. Firstly parents are scared to let their children play in the streets, on the local field or even at the local youth club fearing for the safety of their child. Where once children would cycle or walk to school, they are no longer able to do this as parents take over the responsibility to drop and pick their children up from school. Schools and teachers are increasingly under pressure, and health and safety regulations place restrictions upon the number and type of After School Clubs that they are able to run. Thus we have seen a drastic reduction in the number of extra-curricular activities that schools provide.

If we cannot solve these problems, then we will see the number of overweight children increasing. Childhood obesity has almost doubled since the mid 1980’s and the trend shows no signs of stopping. Overweight children are more likely to be obese adults than their lean friends, increasing the risk of ill health in later life. Recent evidence confirms that obese young people are generally considerably less active than non-obese young people, especially outside of school time. In addition, the trend is for obesity to be linked with higher levels of television watching, and TV viewing is associated with eating more calorie-dense foods and less fruit and vegetables. Also, there are many more high-fat, heavily promoted foods available than there were 20 years ago, many of which are targeted specifically at children.

The child who is very overweight may face psychological problems as a result of being teased about their weight by other children. This can lead to low self-esteem problems both in and out of school.

Exercise is a really useful way to encourage your child to remain fit and healthy. Just one hour of exercise a day could transform the health of children not just now but well into their adult lives. Figures published by the British Heart Foundation in 2000 show that one in three children between two and seven do not receive even the minimum recommended levels of exercise. By the time they are 15 almost two-thirds of girls do so little exercise that they are classified as “inactive”.

One way that many parents are introducing children to sport and other activities is by enrolling their children onto Easter and Summer Playschemes. A number of schemes are run around the country by various organisations, each designed to get children hooked on sport.

Charity organisation The King’s Trust is dedicated to the well-being of children with particular emphasis upon sport. In operation for over twelve years now, they operate over 282 camps throughout 60 towns and cities in the United Kingdom, guaranteed to offer sporting excitement and fun for children across all age ranges.

Yvonne Clarke from Droitwich sent her daughter to The King’s Trust Bromsgrove camp and has been really pleased, “Children are introduced to a varied range of up to twenty activities from the usual such as football and cricket to the more unusual such as lacrosse and trampoline, which they may not have tried before. From the moment my daughter entered the camp, until she left they provided structured coaching designed to thrill and grab the attention of even the most anti-sports child. It was also an excellent opportunity for similar-aged children to mix and make new friends, and parents can be reassured that they are kept out of trouble in a safe environment. I also noticed that after her time at the camp she wanted to continue doing sports and now does a trampoline class once a week as a direct result of her experience.”

The camps also offer an added bonus for parents struggling with childcare during the holidays as they offer Xtra Time from 8.30am – 5.30pm. The camps offer superb value for money at under £3 an hour, dropping to under £2 an hour when extra hours are booked – far cheaper than most childcare costs.

So parents worried about their children not receiving the required level of sports and activities should think very carefully about what is planned for the school holidays. A week at a sports camp could just be the impetus that a child needs to try a sport in a relaxed, fun environment. With a variety of sports on offer there will always be something for even the most sport-hating child. A camp can provide children with many of the opportunities that are denied to children through schooling. We must not forget the very real benefit to children of being able to socialise and interact with others, building up their confidence and assertive levels, the benefit of which would become apparent to parents once the child has left the camp. One thing for certain is that if we are to give our children a chance to live an active, healthy life then we must look to find new and interesting ways to get their activity levels up and whilst a sports camp may not be the only answer - it sure is a fun place to start!

For further information on the King’s Trust and its complete list of Easter and Summer Sports camps call 0845 141 0800, Email: info@kingssportscamps or visit the website www.kingssportscamps.com