If you could be a child again, would you take phys ed classes if you had the choice? A whole set of memories probably springs to mind, pleasant or unpleasant depending on your own experience with physical activity.

Not surprisingly, there is a fascinating body of knowledge emerging around motivation toward physical activity. With a better understanding of children's motivation, psychologists have come up with a few suggestions, which you may find helpful for getting your children off the couch.

If your child enjoys competitive sports

Competition has its place, since children often take part in sports for reasons of challenge, skill and competition. A few pointers can keep them motivated:

• Help your child to value the game rather than the outcome. A focus on winning rather than enjoying the game in its own right can decrease motivation. After a while, winning ends up producing the good feelings instead of playing per se.
  
• Focus your child's attention on developing skills rather than on the outcome. Failing to win is likely to be a highly negative experience because it so easily conveys feelings of incompetence. Fortunately, you can minimize this experience by shifting the focus on improving his or her game.
  
• Provide honest performance feedback. The feedback, more than the outcome, seems to affect children's enjoyment and interest. Children who lose but receive positive feedback feel better than those who win but receive negative feedback.
  
• Select a coach with an informational style. Coaches who are perceived by children to provide more positive feedback and social support tend to have more satisfied participants.

If your child enjoys competition as much as cod liver oil
Physical activity is appropriate for all children, not just the athletically gifted. For children who wince at the thought of competition, it is worthwhile to broaden the scope of physical activity — at school, in community programs and at home. Here are some ideas:

• Suggest activities that are less formal and less structured, such as hiking or walking the dog.
  
• Insist on a wide choice of activities beyond organized sport at school and in community recreation programs.
  
• Help your child to develop a few skills — catching a ball or doing an underwater somersault, for example. That will boost self-image and give better feelings about the body.
  
• Build happy family memories: play together.

Too often, phys ed courses focus on "Olympic skills" instead of daily physical activity practices, which have the greatest bearing on adult health. Home economics and health courses teach how to plan daily meals, not banquet receptions. Yet when it comes to physical activity, the basic skills necessary to maintaining an active lifestyle are often overlooked.

Broadening the scope of physical activity is doubly important when we consider the shift in motives for being active from childhood to adolescence. Relaxation, recreation, appearance and socializing take on more importance for teenagers. A wide variety of enjoyable activities can address these needs and provide enough positive experiences to keep children and youth active for the rest of their lives.