I have a 12 year old son & he is NOT ATHLETIC he only plays video games& computer how can I make him athletic?

Question

Please help he sits on his butt all day long pratically

Answer 1

Don't force him like that. His interests could make him some sort of video game designer or programmer and support you when you're decrepit.

Answer 2

unplug the computer and tv and tell him to go outside and play.  whether he does or not, i wouldn't allow him back on the computer unless it is for schoolwork.  and, i would only allow 1 hour a night of television.  too many kids these days are overweight and lazy due to too much computer access.

Answer 3

your the parent. set the limits. show him how to take the initiative. tell him that its not good for him to take up all his time with video games, ask him to think of other activities he might like to be doing. if he's stubborn or really can't think of anything else, consider the video games he's playing...what is the subject matter, sci-fi/anime? get him into reading maybe. tony hawk or sports games. maybe he would like sports if pushed a little.

look into community center programs for kids, ESP. for the summer!! i used to love those. SO many activities, lots of kids to make friends with...you get to explore your interests.

once you find something he's interested in, do what you can to support and encourage him, even if its not something you would choose to do. sign him up for a team or take him to the museum if he likes art, the library. get involved. the possibilities are endless and the benefits of finding healthy interests and teaching him how to pursue those interest is so important at this age.

Answer 4

Limit his video games and computer time.  TV too.  Make him earn that time by playing outside.  Join the Y.  If you can't get rid of the video games, get a Wii and only let him play Wii Fit or Dance Dance Revolution!

Answer 5

Is he simply not that coordinated so he does not like traditional sports? Make him take swimming lessons this summer -- I feel knowing how to swim is an important life skill anyway. See if you can take him to the Y and get him started on a cardio workout.

If he has tried team sports like soccer and basketball and has hated them maybe he has a better temperament for individual sports like rock climbing or even frisbee golf. Tell him you know he likes to top his personal best on video and computer games -- but his body needs to move around so have him choose from some of the above individual activities

You can if your circumstance and budget allow include golf; track and field/cross country; tennis -- sports that can be technically on a team but are more geared to individual achievement and which he can practice by himself or with one friend.

It sort of worked for my son -- he is autistic -- but also has the dream of sitting in the computer all day eating chips and candy. Not gonna happen. In the summer he takes long walks with the dog and in the school year he has swimming and cardio for his modified PE at school. It is helping.

I also have a cousin who does not have problems with autism or any disability who hated team sports as a kid but discovered bicycling (there is one I forgot to mention before) hiking and rock climbing as an adult. Now he is more athletic at 50 than he was at 20 -- entering iron man tournaments etc.

He still might prefer sitting on his butt to anything else but maybe he simply has the personality where he wants to top his personal best rather than interact as part of a team.

Require one or more of the above from him for 1/2 hour to an hour a day for his health.

Good luck!

Answer 6

You can't make anybody athletic, but you can remove the games and tell him to go out and do stuff.

Answer 7

You can't make someone athletic.  Restrict the uses of the TV and video games and get him in camp or some other program.

Answer 8

Unplug the vidoe game system and the computer and shove him out the door.

Answer 9

you cannot make him athletic but you can make him get off his butt. You are the parent. Take away the games, enrol him in a sport or a club like scouts. Participating in a sport may not make him athletic but at least he will keep healthy and have fun with others

Answer 10

get rid of the games and computer and you eliminate the problem worked for me.

Answer 11

You guys can play soccer outside.

Answer 12

tell him that for however long he plays out side is how much game time he can have it will work trust me also unplug the games until he want's to use them with the time he earned.

Answer 13

take them away or limit the time that you are willing to let him sit there and play. give him shores to do in order to get to play. you  have to be the parent . if you just leave them to themselves then they are going to continue to sit all day.earn the minutes.

Answer 14

You can't actually make anyone athletic, some people simply aren't. 12 is old enough to have a civilized conversation with many kids, so do that find out why he don't wanna do sports.

If you really want to get extreme about it ban video games until he atleast tries some athletic activity, but don't expect this process to be pleasant.

Answer 15

Try him in a sport like karate, or swimming lessons.  That way it is individual and he will develop muscles and coordination throughout the body.  For more exercise, go biking through state parks together, or enter in walk-a-thons for a good cause

Answer 16

look you can't anybody athletic if u pressure him to be that way its going to end up in harsh feelings,but what you can do is give him a time limit on wut he can do in the house and tell him to go outside with his friends or buy him a bike,or take him to a basketball game or a football game its a lot of possiblities and hes 12 he may get active around 14 that is what happend to me i hated sports at 12 but i started liking football because my friends love them and they were never around

Answer 17

Take the stuff away and tell him he needs to go outside and get excersise!  He can't sit on his butt if there is nothing there to entertain him!

Answer 18

Oh, jeez -- God forbid if a kid's parent should actually take the games and computer away from the kid!

He doesn't have to be "athletic," but he does need to be taught that it's neither healthy nor acceptable for him to sitt on his duff and play computer games all day.  

It's frustrating to see parents who are so soft on their kids.  No wonder so many kids today are out of shape, rude, and spoiled.

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