As a Parenting Expert, Here’s How I Encourage Children to Build a Healthy Relationship With Movement

July 30, 2026 - 17:18

For many parents, the word "movement" immediately brings to mind team sports, trophies, and practice schedules. But as a parenting expert, I have learned that the real goal is not raising a star athlete. It is helping a child, especially a girl, develop the deep-seated belief that she is allowed to take up space in the world.

This shift in perspective matters because so many girls learn early to shrink. They are told to be quiet, to be polite, to not be too loud or too physical. Movement is a direct antidote to that. When a child learns to run hard, climb high, or simply stretch her arms wide, she is practicing a physical claim to her own existence. She is learning that her body is not just something to be looked at, but something that can do things.

So how do we encourage this without turning it into a chore? First, stop calling it exercise. Call it play. Call it a walk to find the best leaves. Call it a dance party in the kitchen. The goal is to make movement a natural, joyful part of the day, not a punishment or a requirement.

Second, model it. If you complain about going for a run, your child will hear that movement is a burden. If you say "I need to move my body because it feels good," they absorb a different lesson. Let them see you stretch, jump, or take a bike ride just for fun.

Finally, let them quit. The pressure to stick with a sport can kill the love of movement. If a child hates soccer, let them try swimming. If they hate swimming, let them try hiking. The goal is not commitment to one activity. The goal is a lifelong relationship with a body that feels capable and strong. When we remove the pressure to perform, we give them the freedom to move for the pure joy of it. And that joy is the foundation of confidence.