Getting children in shape

An award-winning author and child health advocate has released a new app to help obese children fight the battle of the bugle and get healthier.

Merilee A Kern, author of Making Healthy Choices – A Story to Inspire Fit, Weight-Wise Kids, says her Kids Making Healthy Choices app is designed to motivate and empower overweight and obese children to stay on a healthy track while also supporting and enabling parents, teachers, caregivers and educators with helpful resources.

“Unfortunately parents tend to be reactive to childhood obesity, dealing with the problem after it manifests, rather than proactive with a preventative mind-set,” said Ms Kern, pictured far right.

“Many parents don’t know how to communicate with children who may be dealing with weight issues. While shelves are filled with books that help parents manage their child’s weight and related health concerns, there are decidedly few illustrated fictional story books or apps available that directly educate and inspire children to live a healthy lifestyle.

“I wanted to take that alternate approach to address the issue directly in a way kids could identify with and relate to.”

The app, which is designed for both iPhone and iPad, also serves to motivate kids within a healthy weight range to not only continue making wise lifestyle choices, but also better understand and empathise with peers currently struggling with a weight problem.

In total, the app features six distinct sections:
1. Powerful Award-Winning Children’s Story – This includes the complete digital eBook adaptation of Making Healthy Choices – A Story to Inspire Fit, Weight-Wise Kids. It provides both the boys’ and girls’ edition of the lauded book to assure the story resonates with the young reader to the greatest extent possible, helping him/her identify with the main character’s struggles and ultimate achievements – and motivate them to do the same.

The eBook contained within the new app employs a simple interface so users can focus on reading and absorbing the content. It is also native (self-contained) within the app, so internet access is not required.

2. Story Discussion Question Prompts – Adults are also encouraged to read this eBook, either with the youngster or separately, so they can key in on those specific scenes and scenarios that resonate with the child. If a parent has yet to establish dialogue with their child regarding weight and health concerns, or is simply at their wit’s end having seemingly tried it all, this prepared, story-specific Q&A offers a non-combative opportunity for the child to express thoughts and feelings on what is often a sensitive subject. The Q&A also fosters impactful classroom discussion.

3. Fun Activities – The app also contains gender-specific, health-themed game and activity sheets that include a healthy food crossword puzzle, maze, word scramble, letter shuffle and connect the dots, which can be exported via email in PDF format, in whole booklet form or in part so caregivers/educators may print, reproduce and allow children to utilise the worksheets offline.

4. Healthy Kid-Friendly Recipes – The app features a recipes section that contains an assortment of kid-friendly food and drink items that are offered by category: breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, side, dessert, beverage and ‘all recipes’.

5. Free Online Tools and Resources – It includes a caregiver/educator quick reference hotlink list replete with online tools that can help foster fit kids, including numerous internet calculators, online quizzes, interactive games, videos and even other useful kids’ health apps that are available.

6. Research, Information and News – In a further effort to streamline the provision of helpful resources for caregivers/educators, the app also contains a separate caregiver/educator quick reference hotlink list of germane news headlines, important statistics and findings, information sources, helpful programmes and more.

The paperback version of Making Healthy Choices has a cover price of $11.95 and the Kids Making Healthy Choices app is priced at $2.99 on iTunes.

For more information, visit www.KidsMakingHealthyChoices.com