As the country struggles to grapple with the rise of childhood obesity, parents, schools and even the First Lady have been advocating everything from taxes on soda to employing the use of personal trainers for kids. However, in the rush to curb this rising epidemic, we often forget some of the more basic ways of fighting childhood obesity – encouraging children to have some physical fun, and there are few better ways to do this than by installing a home basketball court for your kids. Not only does it attract kids off of the couch and onto their feet, but with many basketball court installation companies offering new modern features such as basketball team logo stenciling for your driveway or alternate height hoops, playing basketball has rarely been so much fun.
“It all comes down to getting your kids outside and playing more,” says Mike Westhead, who owns the New Jersey basketball hoop installation company Home Court Hoops. According to Westhead, there are a few things that make basketball such a perfect activity for children. “I happen to think basketball is one of the best sports and activities for a child because of a couple of reasons. For one, they don’t necessarily need a friend to play it. If they want, they can go outside on any day and play on their own.”
Additionally, says Westhead, the fact that they can enjoy the game from the safety of their driveway is another added benefit. “A lot of parents get a little nervous not knowing where their kids are or where they’re playing. So with a home court, you don’t have to worry about them being at the local park where you can’t monitor what’s going on. They’re outside in your court, and so it’s much safer.”
As for tangible health benefits, Westhead likes to stress that not only does the game burn calories, but it can also improve hand-eye coordination as well. But the mere existence of health benefits is not always enough to get kids out from in front of the TV, so Westhead offers a stenciling service that can turn a regular asphalt driveway into what becomes an engaging play space.
“One of the specialties I have that separates me from my competition is my custom courts,” Westhead explains. With a plain asphalt driveway, he says, children might get bored quickly; but if you’re playing on a custom court, the game becomes more fun.
So if you’d like your child to see a little less TV and a little more sunshine, consider getting a basketball court installed at your home.