Kids Get Active

In April, Sports Illustrated Kids Kid Reporter Grace Ybarra sat down with First Lady Michelle Obama to talk about Let's Move! and the new Active Schools initiative. Here's a teaser of Grace's interview. For the full story, pick up a copy of the July issue of Sports Illustrated Kids!

In addition to eating right, being active is also a huge part of Let’s Move!, When you were a kid and growing up, did you have any particular sports that you enjoyed playing?

I grew up in neighborhoods where all the kids were out riding their bikes, playing softball and tag. I was kind of a tomboy, so I liked to play softball. I loved to run track. I was trying to keep up with my big brother in every single thing he did, and he was very active. He played basketball on neighborhood courts and got involved in neighborhood leagues. Activity was an important part of our community upbringing. 

How did you come up with the idea for the newest part of your program, Let’s Move! Active Schools?

We have a challenge. Kids are spending most of their day in school, where there is not a lot of activity on a daily basis. And they’re coming home to spend the rest of that day in front of a TV, or on an iPad, or on some kind of screen. So, that leaves very little time for movement. Schools are the best place to incorporate exercise because kids need that break in between studies to just give their minds a chance to settle. There are a lot of kids who shy away from activity because they think, “Well, I’m not coordinated.” But the truth is that movement is pumping your arms, it’s dancing, it’s touching your toes, it’s identifying your physical strengths and not comparing yourself to your classmate, because we are all different. So we want to make activity fun again for kids in schools.

Photo: Todd Rosenberg for Sports Illustrated