Childhood obesity is going to significantly impact the future generations and the lifespan of the human race. According to the Centers for Disease Control, this lack of adequate physical activity is one of the many causes for the trends in obesity. Due to limited time and resources in schools, Kidematics is a program designed to help activate, motivate, and inspire children to be active. We know physical activity is not the only issue that needs to be addressed in helping kids become healthy. Our program utilizes basic behavioral principles to teach personal and social life lessons.
Our summer and after school programs have shown a significant impact in the daily averages in the areas of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), Step count, and Calories burned in all of our participants. Participants averaged about 164 minutes of MVPA, 20,000 steps traveled, and a caloric expenditure of about 1,600 calories throughout the weeks attending camp. After school students exceed moderate, vigorous, and very vigorous recommended activity minutes measured with accelerometers.
Our business was established in 2010 as a summer program and landed an opportunity with Monongalia County Schools located in Morgantown, WV to host an active afterschool program. We have serviced hundreds of kids and families in the Morgantown area and our programs are continuing to grow in numbers and locations. We have collaborated with Fitness and Child Care facilities to custom design programs that enhance fitness and physical well-being of children, and also promote character education.
We teach children concepts related to our four themes: Motivation, Coping, Responsibility, and Relationships. The nature of play allows for the teachable moments and lessons to arise naturally. Therefore, our social interactions occurs within play for “real world” applications. We have watched children benefit physically and mentally through our unique programs. Our overall mission is to create an awareness and responsibility in our kids to not only live a healthy life, but also to do the “right” thing even when no one is watching, making our children great citizens when they grow up. We can guarantee the kids involved in our programs will move and learn in a variety of ways, meeting the needs of all children.