Parents the key influence in their children’s health and wellbeing

Black Sticks player Gemma Flynn is leading a classroom-based health and wellbeing programme to inspire children to get active.

Launched by AIA New Zealand on 18th August, the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge, has already experienced an overwhelming response with registrations exceeded the 15,000 target within two weeks of its launch.

Introducing the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge, Flynn stated “I’m pleased to be a part of the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge.

“It’s a wonderful initiative that brings people together and encourages quality family time. It provides a fun way for families to be active together and, importantly, it sets manageable goals.”

AIA New Zealand Head of Marketing and Communications, David Savidan, adds “we’re delighted at the phenomenal response the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge has generated.

“It really highlights the relevance of health and wellbeing education programmes in schools, and we’re excited to have Gemma Flynn’s support to reinforce these important messages to children and their parents.”

Flynn says that parents face a myriad of challenges when it comes to growing healthy, happy, resilient children today.

She continues “people’s lives are busier than ever, there are multiple distractions and it’s often a struggle to get the ‘eat, move, sleep’ balance right. It helps to have good tools and information.”

Flynn, who has a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Massey University and runs her own health and wellness business, explains “healthy body, healthy mind, it’s a cliché, but it’s true.

“Establishing a positive relationship with food and an understanding of the importance of being active will set children on the right path. Importantly, it also helps to develop good self-esteem and resilience.”

Digital devices are often cited as a barrier to healthy living but Flynn sees that this technology is here to stay and its potential to harness it to motivate and engage people in a healthy lifestyle needs to be recognised..

Here she feels that the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge is a good example of this with the wellbeing initiative combining technology and leading New Zealand athletes to inspire, motivate and educate primary school children and their parents to lead healthier lives.

As part of the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge, each child receives a free pedometer to count the number of steps they take every day; each child also gets to create their own unique avatar. The programme records each class’s daily average steps, giving them the opportunity to win prizes, including AIA sports grants and Huawei Tablets for their school.

The children’s journey will be captured in a virtual online world showing the progress of their avatars as they work together to unlock new destinations. As children complete each leg, they’re shown an animated video of their avatar exploring each new place with Flynn, international rugby winger Cory Jane, and other New Zealand sporting stars. They learn about the history and culture of the countries they ‘visit’, and get health tips on the way around.

While class registrations for children have now been closed for this year’s AIA Healthy Kids Challenge due to the overwhelming response from teachers, there are still plenty of free places available for parents, friends and family members to join the Challenge.

Parents, friends and family can use the website or download the challenge app to track their own steps. The more adults each participating class has involved, the more chances the class and school have to win great prizes, and there are opportunities for parents who get involved to win prizes too.

The 2016 programme gets underway on 26th October 2016.

For more information, go to www.healthykids.kiwi

Images: Gemma Flynn at the launch of the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge (top), children at the AIA Healthy Kids Challenge (middle) and Cory Jane with his Avatar (below).

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