How do kids who wear glasses do PE?

[Jocelyn]

My daughter has just got glasses for the first time and will be in school in the fall. I'm wondering how she will do PE as she can't see much without her glasses, but I can't see them staying on while she's running. How have other parents helped their children who wear glasses and are there any tricks or techniques I should know?

[Biddeford]

I have had glasses since I was in third grade and have never had my glasses fall off during gym class. I did take gymnastics classes for two years and briefly wore one of those elastic bands to hold them on while I was upside down. I don't think I needed the band, however, because when we did gymnastics in PE during middle school and high school, they stayed on just fine. If they do fall off when she engages in exercise, take them back to the place you got the and have the opticians (who are the experts in assembling and fitting glasses) adjust them as necessary to keep them on.

[Springhill]

My children are still at school, and when they do PE some of the children that wear glasses have a tie on the ends of the glasses so that they can secure them at the back of their heads, stopping them from slipping down or falling off. I also have heard that 12 year olds can now wear contact lenses, but would still need a lot of help and support with these to ensure that they are put in, taken out properly and kept sterile. I think the tie at the back would be a good option, but your child would maybe still have to take them off if she or he had to do a roll forward or something that could damage the glasses, or cause danger. I hope this helps.

[Longmont]

Actually, glasses will stay on just fine when running. I used to have glasses as a kid (I wear contacts now) and I didn't have any problems at all with my glasses on in PE class. Do make sure her glasses fit properly (not to tight or too loose at the ears). Usually the optometrist's office will make those adjustments for free, so if her glasses are too loose then she should stop in the optometrist's office. The way to check if they're too loose: she should lean over forwards bending at the hips until her back and head are parallel with the ground. If her glasses fall off to the floor, they're too loose. Do not, however, make the mistake of having them be too tight at the ears. Loose-ish fit is better so long as they don't actually fall off if she bends over. If they're too tight it will be extremely irritating to wear them all day, so be careful. As a first-time glasses wearer, she should not be shy about getting them adjusted at the optometrist's office - it may even take a few trips there at first until the 'perfect' fit is found.