Youth fitness is about more than just developing strength, skill, stamina, agility, and athleticism. Done right, a structured youth fitness program like the one Fit Kids offers can develop the total child, helping kids integrate their minds, bodies, and spirits.
So says Dr. Andrea Ettekal, assistant professor at Texas A&M University’s Applied Youth Development Initiative.
In this video conversation, Dr. Ettekal explains:
- The overall value of out-of-school time as an opportunity to develop the total child
- How physical fitness contributes to students becoming integral individuals and developing character
- How coaches, administrators, volunteers, and other adult leaders in sports and fitness can leverage these opportunities
- The unique challenges faced by children in underserved communities and those who have endured either acute trauma, such as abuse, or the longer-term traumas of poverty or systemic oppression
- An understanding of how “failure” – even experienced while competing with oneself in a youth fitness program – helps children learn how to succeed
- The importance of fun as a component that helps children gain all the benefits of a quality youth fitness program.
