Limit screen time

There are many reasons why children are less active today, but the biggest culprit is the television set, followed closely by video games and computers, these activities encourage a sedentary lifestyle. Watching television is directly related to childhood obesity. Children who watch more than five hours of television a day are eight times more likely to be obese than are children who watch less than two hours of television a day.
A surefire way to increase your children's activity levels is to limit the number of hours they are allowed to watch television each day. Other sedentary activities - playing video and computer games or talking on the phone - also should be limited.
Promote activity, not exercise
Children do not have to be in sports or take dance classes to be active. Every kid is wired differently, we all have certain strengths and certain anatomical features and characteristics that permit us to do certain things better than others.
Many noncompetitive activities are available for a child who is not interested in organized athletics. The key is to find things that your child likes to do. For instance, if your child is artistically inclined, go on a nature hike to collect leaves, and rocks that your child can use to make a collage. If your child likes to climb, head for the nearest neighborhood jungle gym or climbing wall. If your child likes to read, then walk or bike to the neighborhood library for a book.
For a youngster interested in sports, however, involvement can be the basis for a variety of activities, including training for better performance and developing skills to play several sports. Before your child plunges into an organized sport or activity, learn as much as you can about:
How much time you and your child will have to commit to practices and games
How much participation and equipment will cost
The characteristics of the sport - for example, the relative emphasis it places on agility, speed, coordination, endurance, and strength
Your child's physical maturity
The quality of instruction
What benefits your child hopes to derive from it, and how you hope it will benefit him or her