Presents that will move children.

• Position: Playtime - Brief article

There are a number of gift ideas to get sedentary kids of all ages active, says a childhood fitness specialist from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "The key is to find gifts that also motivate the entire family to move: explains Carole DeHaven, a continuing lecturer in the Department of Health and Kinesiology.

"Parents are the gatekeepers for healthy living. By providing activities that children enjoy, along with healthy food choices, we can help reverse the number of children who am overweight or obese. If the trend is not reversed, then obese children will grow up to be obese adolescents who grow into obese adults."

The following are gift ideas that promote activity:

* Bicycles, sleds, skates, scooters, and snowboards are ideal, but be sure to provide the necessary safety gear.

* Consider community resources. For example, give a coupon to meet a child once a week for a walk in the park, or give passes to the zoo or an ice skating rink.

* Money to pay for their participation in organized sports, such as local youth programs for sports, gymnastics, or ballet

* Pedometers for the entire family. Challenge members to see who can log the most footsteps in a day.

* Jump...