Spark for Kids

Posts: 413
4/27/13 7:35 A

I don't necessarily disagree, but there would have to be a lot of safeguards put in place. As a teacher, it seems that a lot of the kids do nothing but play video games and watch TV. We always tell them to go outside and play when they get home, but I don't think they even know how to do this!

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4/13/13 11:51 A

What a great idea! I think that it would be very popular.

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4/6/13 11:47 P

This idea is exactly what I am looking for, too! I just posted in a different forum (parenting) about the need to teach my children about portion sizes, caloric needs, healthy food choices and exercise/intensity, etc. Spark Kids would be a great idea to do this!

If people have used other resources (books, websites, etc.) for their grade school aged kids with success, please let me know!

There would be plenty of advertisers who would be willing to support this venture (just ask the people who make dream lights and pillow pets......) so funding wouldn't be a problem (unfortunately)!

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4/1/13 4:22 P

I agree. I have friends with kids who want to help them learn healthy lifestyles, and one little girl who actually does need to lose weight. But if we teach our kids young, that can help keep them from getting into the weights we've all gotten into. Lifestyle change can happen young!

I know it would take some time to set up, but I really think a SparkKids site would be invaluable, for parents, other caregivers, and even teachers!

Edited by: ASLANSCUB at: 4/1/2013 (16:22)

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4/1/13 4:18 P

I would like to see something for kids to track healthy foods and exercise. Also give them articles to read on living a healthy lifestyle would be great. I would sign my kids up for something like that. Give them the spark wheel like we have to earn points and collect trophies. Great idea!!! My kids don't need to lose weight, but it would encourage healthy eating and exercise.

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3/14/13 8:28 P

My husband and I both use Sparkpeople. My 8-year old daughter asked for an account this evening after we told her she no longer needs to ask permission before getting her own food. We told her that although she is going to be making her own food choices, she will also reap the consequences of eating too much. She is an athlete, who is on the swim team and is taking ballet & jazz dance, so caloric ranges for kids would have to account for activity level...

Anyway, she does not feel comfortable fibbing on her age in order to be able to track her own food... and we told her that the caloric range she would be assigned would probably not be appropriate for her.

She REALLY wants to do this so that she can maintain her physique - which currently is perfect - she is not under or over weight for her age or activities.

I think it would be AWESOME to have a Spark Kids program.

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3/12/13 10:16 A

I think this would be a fun way to teach and get kids into heath and nutrition, without it feeling like we are forcing it on them.

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3/6/13 9:29 A

I really support the idea of SparkPeople for Kids. My kids are doing things to be active this winter and they're giving themselves "points". But they covet my tools on SparkPeople (the login wheel, articles just for them, etc.)

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3/1/13 11:33 A

I think it would be a great idea.

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2/28/13 9:04 P

I do agree. All of us need to send them an email right now. :)

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2/4/13 2:35 P

I think this is a really cool idea!

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1/31/13 5:33 P

Thanks for the quick response. That is definitely a good answer, I have no problem with that!

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1/31/13 5:07 P

Sorry Karen, but there is not a way to do that as the sites are separate and that is also a way to keep the teens site safe as well.

Coach Denise

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1/31/13 5:03 P

This is indeed a wonderful idea, thank you. But is there a way for my 16 year old daughter on SparkTeen and myself on SparkPeople to message each other? Neither of us can find any connection between the two.

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1/23/13 11:33 P

What a wonderful idea!

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1/23/13 2:33 P

I am also weighing in with votes for a kids' site. If there is some law against it, then have a parent/child sign-in, maybe with dual accounts (the adult would have to be a Sparker and the sign-ins would be related or linked someway). I have friends who have overweight kids who need a site that has a lot of motivation, like this one. The President's Fitness site has very little in the way of motivation. Plus, the articles and resources here are great!

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9/30/12 10:06 P

I just googled Spark Kids and came to this page. I think Spark Kids is a necessary Site. I think it is silly to say, Let kids eat what they want and as much as they want. What kind of message is this sending to the kids? We develop habits as we grow up and if the habits that we develop are bad in our youth, they are much harder as an adult to break. I as a kid ate tons of sugar, this continued into my adult hood, which I started gaining an avg of 7 lbs a year at the age of 25. No one ever taught me that sugar, chocolate and sweets were bad for me. I am trying to set a better example for my kids, but would love to set them up with their own little page, so they could see what they need and what they've got enough of. Personally I've always lacked in the Calcium and Protein Section. A Spark Kids sight would be awesome!

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9/28/12 10:28 P

I think it is a great idea as long as it is monitored closely by an adult. Would be nice if the school could get on board.

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9/28/12 8:35 A

Oh, come on guys! This thread started in November 2010. Spark Kids is SO needed! Adding that to Spark People would not only benefit children, but would open up a new avenue to family fitness. Parents and kids could have their own Spark Pages, could look at and pick recipes for the family and could discover new options for fitness - - - together. Nothing spells success like T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K!

This site is informational, informational, motivational and most of all positive. Just the right sort of environment for kids.

You have the resources to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I have a 6 year old grand-daughter who is struggling with weight. Her self image is already being impacted by self-comparisons with her older slimmer sister. In addition to that, she struggles with school work. Logging in to her own Spark page would not only help her with health and fitness, but reading, spelling and math.

Come on, Spark Guy! You can make this happen. Let's give our kids the tools for a healthy, active, energetic future!

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7/9/12 2:22 P

Was just looking for this very thing. My daughter is 9. There is no weight problem. However, I would love something where I could show her what she's missing. I love that I can go and see that I'm a little low on protein or whatever. I would love something where she could go in and see - oops, I'm really low on Vitamin A for the week and have it show her some foods high in that. Coming from someone else that she needs to eat more vegetables and seeing how low she is would go over better for her than me always tellng her

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7/3/12 2:59 P

I would LOVE to see a SparkKids site. I've been looking for something like that online lately since my 10 year old son just hit 133 lbs! We are currently starting him on food journaling & increasing his exercise. He & I have also agreed to limit his calories to 1600 calories since he is supposed to have 1800 for maintaining weight at his age & height (according to all the sites I've found anyway). I think it would be nice for him to be able to track his food & exercise on a site like this so he could see his progress even when he isn't seeing it in his body yet.

Randi

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6/24/12 1:26 P

My daughter will be 12 next month and she has struggled with weight issues due to hypothyroidism. I would love to see sparkpeople lower the age to at least preteen. Her endocrinologist wants her to loose some weight. I have recently joined due to my own issues with weight and to help her.

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6/16/12 2:57 P

I would LOVE to have a spark kids site!!! My son and I went to the sites that were recommended, but he got easily bored. If he had a place where he could log his progress, set goals, and see his hard work through visual charts or playmates that we can team up together and have fitness play groups. We used to have a group called Marathon kids, but we moved out of the area, and now we have nothing. This is a great way to teach kids fitness, and spend family time together.

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5/20/12 11:06 A

YES, YES, YES....Spark kids would be great. My 9 year old daughter wants to be a Spark member so bad. She sees how excited I am about the site and how easy and helpful it has been to me in my search for a healthier lifestyle. She is a tiny bit over weight but mostly wants to be able to monitor her intake and fitness easier. By me changing, everyone is changing how they eat and I try to get everyone up and moving much more now. But she was so upset when we realized she was too young to sign up. Please work on a SparkKids, it would be amazing. Thanks for SparkPeople...love it!

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4/20/12 5:27 P

I like Jenfireharp's idea. Rather than focusing on calorie counting and calorie burning the way the adult site does, Sparkids wouldn't be about weight loss; it would be about healthy living and how to be active and healthy! Things like rewards for eating half your plate of vegetables (like the plate diagram they use now to show how things should be distributed), or tracking minutes of activities, demos for fun games, actual games to teach kids healthy choices, that sort of thing.

I talk to my 6 year old a LOT about "healthy choices" and moderation of unhealthy things. I have a lot of experience running a site for children; I manage a non-profit writing site for kids K to 12, and know all to well the potential pitfalls, and also the potential joys. They'd have to be closely monitored, and it would have to be closed off from any adult sites for their safety and protection.

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4/20/12 11:40 A

I didn't know there was a SparkTeens! Wonderful! I think one for younger kids would we great as well. It's not just for those who need to lose weight, it's for living a healthy lifestyle.

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4/8/12 9:27 A

My daughter enjoys SparkTeens. She does not have a weight problem, but likes reading the articles, taking polls, using the trackers, etc. She has seen me sparking for sometime now. I know this will help her stay mindful for years to come. Some of her friends have joined as well. Seems pretty safe so far. I like how it is kept separate from the adult version. So far, so good.

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4/8/12 8:26 A

My daughter enjoys SparkTeens. She does not have a weight problem, but likes reading the articles, taking polls, using the trackers, etc. She has seen me sparking for sometime now. I know this will help her stay mindful for years to come. Some of her friends have joined as well. Seems pretty safe so far. I like how it is kept separate from the adult version. So far, so good.

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4/7/12 8:41 P

I was going to suggest SparkKids, when I searched and found this thread.

I envisioned it as being a little different than what we adults have, since I agree with others on this thread that this would be a bit much. Spark Kids would be like games and easy choices to click on... A way to have fun and learn about healthy choices while they are still young and learning, and they could "talk" to other kids like them. If you were worried about safety, kids wouldn't be able to post real photos, instead, make avatars on their "sparkkidspage" and choose pictures or simple choices to track specific intake like how many fruits and veges today. Games to learn good choices! And easy ways to track outside time and movement like jumping rope and dancing and playing tag???Kid fitness and food experts to answer kids questions, kids could earn goodies and buy each other prizes.
I believe spark people could accomplish this, I am amazed at how far SP has come since it begin...

Many kids could benefit from this!!!

I know one concern would be safety, how to keep predators away... how does spark teens accomplish this?
One way is to keep adults or public from seeing the kids profiles/pages. Keep it private.

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4/4/12 1:07 P

My 8 year old stepdaughter weighs 130 lbs. She is beautiful girl, and very tall for her age, but her doctor is concerned about her weight and so am I! Her father and I grew up as overweight people, and we were both tortured for it. We don't want that for her. We are both sparking our butts off, and she works out with me, and we're seeing results but I know she would love to have her own spark page. She asks me about it all the time! I am always searching for ways to keep her motivated!

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3/12/12 4:07 P

I too would love to see a Spark Kids. My 9 year old daughter is eager to have an account and do spark with me. Does anyone know if there are any movements towards this? I know that nutritional needs of kids are so much different than that of adults, but even if it was geared more to getting up and moving and focusing on nutritional education that would be wonderful. And it could give out overweight children a place to meet other kids like them.

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3/11/12 10:19 P

I would love for there to be a spark for kids! I have an 8 yr old that weighs 112 lbs and I think this would be a great motivational tool to inspire her to make healthy changes.

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3/7/12 7:04 P

I think Spark for Kids would be a good thing! My 7 year-old son often wants to know what I am doing, and both of us would be clinically called overweight (he might even make it to the obese column, which I have just moved out of). If he could track his food and exercise and get the points, it may encourage him to try more. At this time, he won't (will not) eat fruits or vegetables, nor will he try anything new. A sight like this might be beneficial to him.

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2/15/12 7:54 P

I think Spark for Kids is a great idea! If you make it fun it could help make kids interested in being healthy.

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2/14/12 4:14 P

Darlene - There isn't a way to send a referral for that, but you can send your niece to sparkteens.com and she can sign up for her account that way.

Coach Denise

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2/14/12 2:16 P

Very helpful message board. Thanks for posting.

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2/14/12 9:51 A

I am a member of spark people, and would like to invite my 13 year old niece to spark teens which I am not part of. Is there a way to refer her to the teens page if I am not part of that? When I try it tells me I don't have access. I could not even check out the article referenced in this message board because of that. Thanks.

Edited by: DARLENE474 at: 2/14/2012 (09:53)

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1/17/12 6:47 P

I Spark but came across this thread via a search engine, while searching for an easy way to track my 17mo old daughter's food intake. I'm a dietetics student and although many of us know what we should be feeding our kids, tracking it (in a quick and practical way) to make sure they're eating right would be a great help. I totally love this idea, either for parents to use or kid-friendly. : )

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1/16/12 1:52 P

I think it would be a great idea!

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1/13/12 4:02 P

I too think that a Sparkpeople for kids would be a great idea. After all the main message with Sparkpeople isn't losing weight (though many of us adults use it for that) but rather living a healthy lifestyle. You would however want to break it down by age. An older child would have no problem typing in that he or she ate an apple and tuna fish sandwich while a younger child that can't read yet would need pictures of the food to click on. This would give parents an invaluable tool to not only teach their children about nutrition and exercise but also in empowering their children to make their own healthy choices.

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1/13/12 1:14 P

CODICADICASSIE - SparkTeens is very similar to SparkPeople, but is specific to Teens needs and has a few slight differences to help keep them safe on the site. If you log out of your SparkPeople account, you will be able to go to this page to learn more: teens.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_ar
ticles.asp?id=918. But you will need to log out of your SparkPeople account before you can view that page.

Coach Denise

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1/13/12 9:31 A

I have three girls and all are overweight and also it runs in my family so I would really enjoy a site for them they are 15, 12, and 8. What is spark teens? my 15 year old may enjoy that.

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1/11/12 11:41 A

It would be great - did you check out http://www.zisboombah.com? They focus on healthy eating for kids and parents get info too..

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10/24/11 10:16 P

I have a ten year old that requested an account tonight. He's actually very conscious of his fitness and exercise and diet; always has been. But he is a kid and this site would be way to busy for him.

If anything comes up, I'd love to know about it.

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7/13/11 1:28 P

I think it could be a good idea, as long as they keep it just for children, not adult (except parents) interaction.

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7/13/11 3:41 A

Bad idea!

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7/9/11 12:05 P

Spark Kids would be great! I would love my son to be able to log activity minutes and track his fruits and vegetable servings. He loves his "workouts" and using the computer and I think bringing it all together would be a lot of fun for him.

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7/7/11 6:03 A

I would LOVE if Sparkpeople would create a SPARK KIDS site. i have a 6 year old girl who is getting a little chunky and I've been passing on my SP knowledge to her on how to understand what she eats and how to move more. We are now using the following website: www.nourishactive.com and have visited http://kidshealth.org. Both websites are very useful but the layout that Sparkpeople uses would be so much more clear cut and fun for kids to log in and feel accomplished with winning Trophies and spinning the log in wheel!!!

Please Please PLaese Sparkpeople, Please consider making a trial Spark Kids website so that our kiddies can benefit too from you!!

:-)

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2/18/11 8:05 A

My kids are 10 & 12 and they are CONSTANTLY wanting to know if they can get a SP account! They want to track their exercise and food. They don't need to lose, they need to gain. I think rather than calories though it could focus on food groups and servings along the lines of the food pyramid. They also want to send me Sparkgoodies lol. Maybe recipes kids could make. They'd love getting SparkPoints. Maybe in addition to being friends with other kids, they could also friend their parent account just for the parent to keep tabs on the kid and for them to give each other sparkgoodies!

I bought a product called FitDeck for kids a few years back .. it's a deck like playing cards that have body weight exercises...they were all kid like names and encouraged them to exercise..It was a lot of the same body weight strength exercises grownups can do but some of the names were changed. I could so see that on a kids fitness plan!

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1/28/11 8:30 P

Yes, make a viedo game of it, and my son would probably be all over it. I think it's a great idea. Not to actually put them on a diet, but just as a needed information tool. You want them to be aware of what's healthy, but not drive them to any kind of eating disorder.

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1/28/11 1:24 P

that would be awesome, my girls would love to be on SP too.

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1/28/11 11:17 A

I got my 15 yo daughter involved in SparkTeens and she likes it as well as Facebook. In fact she got some of her Facebook friends involved in SparkTeens with her and they have a blast together. My eight year old is not allowed on Facebook yet, and really doesn't have an issue with weight - but I think it would a great way for her to start making healthy choices now when she doesn't have a problem rather than later after developing a problem. We should really think about prevention first rather than recovery later!

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1/27/11 10:43 A

spark for kids is a great idea!!

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1/26/11 9:24 A

I checked out kidshealth.org, pretty good site, thanks sp_coach_denise :)

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1/24/11 11:15 P

It would be great, but there would be a lot of variables to be considered.

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1/24/11 9:18 P

I agree. With all the emphasis on childhood obesity, I would think SparkPeople would be all over that and creating something really neat and fun that the kids could access. They love "points" for video games and such, so having a way to track points for healthy activities would be really awesome. The resources are good, but something the kids can do themselves (with guidance from parents, perhaps in setting and reviewing goals), would be more empowering to them.

My offer still stands to serve as a parent advisor for the creation of such a site.

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1/24/11 7:30 P

I think having a Spark Kids would be great! My 11 year old daughter is interested but isn't old enough for Spark Teens. And trying to figure out how many calories a growing child needs is hard! I couldn't even begin to be able to guess on that one! If there were a spark kids we could easily access that kind of info. Then maybe parents could get a better idea of how much their child really needs and put a dent into this child obesity thing!

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12/27/10 2:22 P

My 8 year old is always asking if they have a Spark for kids.

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11/24/10 2:05 P

While we do have a site for teens (13-17 years old), I'm not sure if we would be able to add one for children younger than that. I will pass along your feedback though.

With that said though, you can track fitness minutes for your son on your SparkAmerica site. This article has some more info about that: sparkamerica.com/articles.asp?art=70.

We also have some resources for family and kids here: sparkamerica.com/healthy-resources.asp.

Additionally, kidshealth.org is a site that you might find helpful for your son to use.

Coach Denise



Edited by: SP_COACH_DENISE at: 11/24/2010 (14:08)

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11/24/10 12:49 P

Hi there! I joined Spark People in June, so this is my first Thanksgiving as a sparker! I'd like to start by saying how truly blessed I feel to have found Spark People. I count this site and all my Spark Friends among the many blessings I am counting this Thanksgiving!!

I am the mother of a 9-year-old boy who probably has Asperger's Syndrome (we don't have a definitive diagnosis yet, but are working on it). He has always been small for his age and a picky eater, so I never worried too much about his weight. However, the medication that he has been on since March has contributed to a great deal of weight gain. We are taking him off that medication and switching to one that does not have that side effect. His doctor has told him "only 1 sweet thing a day, and exercise for 30 minutes every day." As a health conscious mom, I do all I can to see that he learns and lives a healthy lifestyle, and will ensure he follows doctor's orders.

I am very open about my own healthy choices, and he sees me using SP all the time. Last evening, as I was at the computer, he leaned over my shoulder and asked "Mommy, can kids use Spark People?" He caught me off guard a bit, but my initial reaction is that this site is just too overwhelming for a child, and that all the trackers are geared toward adult bodies.

However, it got me thinking. Wouldn't it be cool for the creators of Spark People to branch out into a similar site for children? Let's grab the kids when they're young and creating habits that will last a life time, and help them start out with good ones that don't need to be "fixed" later. It could be filled with fun activities and games that are all geared toward learning about how to be healthy. There are so many free "game" communities on-line. I think a Spark Kids site, where they can earn spark points and make spark friends, would be fantastic.

So..... is this something you would consider doing? If so, I offer my support as a parent to give ideas, serve on a development team, or help as required.

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