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Maybe, just maybe, kids can watch TV without turning into lifelong sloths.

Lately, networks are spending more airtime promoting and running TV shows that try to pry kids off the couch.

The get-healthy push is fuelled by the alarming rise in childhood obesity. In March, the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute released a study that found 91 per cent of Canadian children aged 5 to 19 were not getting enough exercise.

Active Healthy Kids Canada, a non-profit advocacy group, has given the country a "D" in its annual report card on physical activity for children and youth. Tomorrow, the organization releases this year's grade during a keynote speech at the International Conference on Physical Activity & Obesity in Children in Toronto.

But how effective can a TV show be at getting the young athlete out of the armchair? Physical activity consultant Louise Daw was skeptical.

"The best way for kids to get active is to see their parents being active," the London, Ont., based instructor said.

We asked Ms. Daw, a personal trainer for youth and a consultant for Ontario's Physical Activity Resource Centre, to rate the TV offerings.

I Dare You

The show Preschool celebrity Daniel Cook stands in the middle of the TV screen as a colourful light show blinks behind him. He jumps up and down, points at the viewer and calls out: "C'mon, get up off the couch!" Then it's two minutes of kiddie aerobics. Airs on TVOntario, Access and Knowledge.

The moves "I dare you to dribble a basketball," the eight-year-old challenges as he pretends to bounce a ball, feinting around imagined opponents. Next come two more dares that ramp up the action - throwing and catching, then jumping and shooting. "Now I triple dare you!" and all the movements are put together.

Olympian potential? Yes. Ms. Daw loved Daniel's precociousness and the way he made a connection with his viewers: "He actually says, 'Get up off the couch.' The other shows make an assumption that kids will follow suit, and that's not true. They need direction. ... otherwise they will just sit there." The coup de grâce: Daniel enjoys a piece of fruit or a glass of milk at the end of each show. "It wasn't just about being active, it was also about healthy eating."

Roll Play

The show Five young kids in workout gear and puppets from the Famous People Players troupe act out stories read by an unseen narrator, or improvise dance moves to music recorded for the series by acts such as Broken Social Scene and Great Big Sea. Airs on Treehouse.

The moves Walk like a crab, fly like a bird, jump like a frog, lumber like an elephant and so on.

Olympian potential? Only with a parent's guidance. Ms. Daw says the innovative soundtrack is a great motivator to get up and dance, but the spilt screen distracts children from focusing on copying the movements. Why flap your arms like a bird when there's a funny puppet in the corner of the screen?

*****

COACH CALLOUS

The show Vignettes that run between commercials. Coach Callous reminds you of the worst gym teacher you ever had, and is played by YTV host Carlos Bustamante. He barks orders, bullies teenagers into action and never tires of shouting: "Get your rear in gear!" Airs on YTV.

The moves Lifting hand weights, running, playing sports - it doesn't matter as long as kids aren't sitting around.

Olympian potential? Unlikely. Ms. Daw found Coach Callous "loud and annoying" but she's not the target audience, so she turned to her 15-year-old son for advice. "My son thought it was funny, but he said there's no way it's going to get somebody active," she reports. Ms. Daw also noticed that in one show Coach Callous was teaching an incorrect method of lifting weights.

*****

LAZYTOWN

The show Icelandic gymnast Magnus Scheving is the creator, writer and star of this puppet and live-action series. Mr. Scheving plays Sportacus, a superathletic guy who lives in a spaceship hovering over LazyTown, a place plagued with a nasty man who doesn't like playful kids disturbing him. Airs on YTV.

The moves Death-defying leaps, flips and midair somersaults.

Olympian potential? Definitely not. "Kids are just going to sit back and watch that. The flips are totally unrealistic." What's worse: "They talked a fair bit about wearing a bike helmet, but the way they were wearing them wasn't even appropriate, they were tilted back on their heads."

*****

FOUR SQUARE

The show Each episode of this 15-minute preschool series exposes children to dance, music, rhythm and poetry. Toronto dance troupe Corpus brings the buffoonery of European clowning to each routine. Airs on Treehouse.

The moves Dressed in neon spandex, the troupe performs a simple, gymnastic-like routine, then breaks it down step by step. Then they "watch" kids do it in their living room. "Great job!" they shout encouragingly.

Olympian potential? Yes, but the exercise portion is not long enough, Ms. Daw says. "The activity part was repetitive ... and repetition in that [preschool] age range is effective. But there was only one segment that was physical-activity related, and I don't know if it's going to have an impact."

*****

BO ON THE GO

The show An animated series for preschoolers about a blue-haired girl named Bo. She wears a red, yellow and green wristband that glows brightly when kids at home copy her exercises: "When you move with me, you give me energy!" Bonus: Each episode starts with Bo telling kids to put away their toys ("Clear out your Bo zone."). Airs on CBC this fall.

The moves Kiddie aerobics: running on the spot, hopping, jumping, dancing, stretching.

Olympian potential? Yes. Ms. Daw says the concept is great: Bo runs low on energy when the kids stop moving. This gets across the concept that exercise equals energy. She counted eight exercises in the longer, 20-minute show. The length, however, led to its one problem. When each exercise is over, the characters return to the story: "Often times, it would leave the kids just standing there - there wasn't always really clear direction."