Parents Get in the Game
In recognizing the importance of positive physical and prosocial activity among youth, especially tweens between the ages of 9 and 13, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a national, multicultural campaign called VERB.™ It’s what you do.
The campaign encourages tweens to increase their physical and prosocial activity to improve their health and displace unhealthy, risky behavior. VERB also encourages parents to assess their children’s physical activity patterns by actively taking interest in children’s likes and dislikes and providing them with the appropriate activity programs that mirror their interests.

Making It Fun
Family vacations and outdoor adventures provide great settings for parents and children to be active and explore new activities together such as climbing, fishing, playing basketball and photography. Other outdoor activities include planting flowers in the park, taking an outdoor nature hike or volunteering to clean up the neighborhood.
It is recommended that children participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day, such as biking or playing a musical instrument. Other fun physical and prosocial activities include playing catch, swimming, drawing, dancing, jumping rope and cheerleading.

Decreasing Screen Time
One key to incorporating physical and group activities into daily routines is to decrease screen time. According to experts, children are spending too much time glued to the screen watching television, playing video games and surfing the Internet.
Nearly every child has heard the phrase “Turn off the TV.” But, watching TV is often the easiest way for American children (and adults) to deal with boredom.
The chart below illustrates how easy it is for tweens to turn unexciting activities into fun, positive activities. It is a great start for tweens to identify their favorite VERBs.

Benefits of Physical and Prosocial Activity
Children who are engaged in positive activities are better able to meet the demands of daily physical activity and gain greater self-confidence, school achievements, social connectedness and positive family relationships than their sedentary peers.
The VERB campaign aims to help parents teach children about the benefits of healthy living, which include:
•Building and maintaining healthy bones and muscles.
•Controlling weight, building lean muscle and reducing fat.
•Reducing feelings of depression, stress and anxiety.
•Promoting psychological well-being, including enhanced feelings of social belonging and increased self-esteem.
•Increasing flexibility and aerobic endurance.

Learn More
VERBparents.com offers parents new ways to become involved with VERB, including information on the benefits of positive activities, tips on increasing participation in physical activities, guidelines on increasing involvement with prosocial organizations and suggestions on how to decrease screen time (television, computers and video games).

James S. Marks, M.D., M.P.H., is director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention located in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also an adjunct associate professor at Emory University School of Public Health.