Playing outside with friends.

Outside group play is important, both physically and socially, and it is a great way for kids to incorporate activity without feeling they are "exercising." Relying too exclusively on supervised and structured experiences - from soccer practice to piano lessons to play dates - can wind up limiting your kids' exposure to diverse activities they might really enjoy.

"Parents want their children to maximize their potential," says University of Minnesota social scientist William Doherty, Ph.D., author of Take Back Your Kids: Confident Parenting in Turbulent Times (Sorin Books, 2000), and this can wind up back firing on them. Doherty and other experts say there is nothing inherently wrong with structured sessions, but research shows that spontaneous play - preferably outside - no only encourages vigorous physical activity but also is a central part of healthy neurological growth.

Mckenzie says that children observed playing outdoors for 30 minutes got an estimated 12 minutes of the recommended President's Council - activity level. Plus, it stimulates creativity and imagination, relieve stress and provides kids with opportunities to collaborate and solve problems with their peers. School recess can provide these same benefits, but this childhood staple is in danger. Nearly one in three elementary schools in the United States provides no regularly scheduled recess.