Back in January, there was a lot of media focus on a growing trend of little girls wearing high heels.  Most of the articles highlighted issues of appropriateness and the long-term health effects of wearing heels.  It turns out, though, that wearing high heeled shoes can also limit a child’s opportunity for exercise and fresh air.

But, heels are not the only culprit. Any clothing that is not appropriate for physical activity or inadequate for outdoor conditions may prevent a child from going outside to play when they are at school or in child care.

A recent study found that when children are not dressed for the weather or for active play it limits a child care center’s ability to involve kids in physical activity.  The clothing items that were found to be the greatest hurdle included: no coat/hat/gloves in the wintertime, flip flops or sandals, dress/expensive clothes, jewelry, and clothes that were either too loose or too tight.

When children wear clothing like this, it seems to limit child care centers’ ability to involve all children in outdoor physical activity.  Unfortunately, because of limited staffing, this often means that none of the children can go outside to play.

There are a number of ways you can help improve the chances that your children are prepared for physical activity – whether at day care or school.  Most importantly, dress your child for active play.  In other words, clothing should allow easy movement (not too loose and not too tight) and shoes should provide support for running and climbing.

The following are some clothing recommendations from the study:

• Send your child to school or day care in gym shoes or a sturdy gym-shoe-equivalent (no flip flops or other types of shoes that can come off while running or climbing);
• Avoid dressing your child in “dress clothes” or special outfits or that are not allowed to get dirty; and
• Make sure your child has seasonally-appropriate clothes.  If it’s cold, dress your child in a warm coat, hat, and mittens.  A raincoat and/or boots can protect them from the rain.  Layers of clothing can be helpful during spring and fall when temperatures vary.  And, summer clothing should be cool enough that your child does not overheat – being overdressed can be as much of a problem as being under dressed for the weather.
• Avoid jewelry that can get caught in toys or playground equipment.
• Make sure that clothing fits properly.  Loose clothing can get caught in things.  Too-tight clothing makes it difficult to move comfortably.

Source: Copeland, et.al. Flip flops, dress clothes, and no coat: clothing barriers to children’s physical activity in child-care centers identified from a qualitative study, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity