Physical activities are more important to the development of babies and children than one can imagine. These days especially, it is crucial that parents ensure that their little ones receive enough exercise and not spend too much time in front of the TV or remain sedentary for too long.
Daily physical activity is important for growing bodies because it:
- Helps to strengthen young bodies and build strong muscles, joints, and bones
- Improves coordination, balance, and flexibility in young bodies
- Supports brain development by allowing better blood circulation to the brain to supply it with essential nutrients it needs to develop
- Helps to keep little ones at an ideal weight
- Helps children get better rest both during daytime naps and during night sleep
- Improves children’s appetite
- Helps little ones feel more confident, which will eventually help then fare better at school too
So important for their overall health!
Physical activity leads to a stronger, fitter body, healthy heart, and lungs, better flexibility, and posture. It can also prevent a child from being overweight and obese and also prevents diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer later on in their lives. It’s not very difficult to incorporate exercise into your child’s daily life with unstructured activities such as walking, running, jumping, and chasing about. If space or location permits, riding bikes, climbing trees, or using playground equipment are all good forms of exercise. The point is to ensure that they move about more as opposed to just sitting down all day.
Sports and structured exercise
As your child reaches school age, they may do more structured exercise, such as dancing or yoga. There are plenty of children’s classes all over the country that offer all kinds of physical activity programs that will greatly benefit young bodies.
Some children are naturally inclined to love sports. Through sports, children can learn new physical skills, enjoy working in a team, and learn the thrill of winning and of course, how to accept defeat gracefully and bounce back. Remember though that it’s never alright to force a child to take up a sport which he or she dislikes or is not interested in. Keep in mind too, not all children have the physical skills needed for certain sports. In cases like these, parents can help them discover other activities that they might enjoy.
How much activity do little ones need?
Even babies need to move their bodies! Having said that, while awake, infants should not be restrained or kept inactive for more than an hour. (Let them move their limbs about!) For the first year of a baby’s life, supervised floor play in a safe environment will be the best way to go. Toddlers and children aged one to five years should be physically active for at least three hours a day.
Too much screen time?
Turn it around before it’s too late! According to some experts, children under two should not be watching television or using electronic media. Unfortunately, as modern parenting and lifestyle would have it, too many babies and toddlers watch way too much television and even get to play with handphones and tablets.
Parents’ role in keeping children active
Parents are the biggest role models for little kids, so as a parent, you can set the best example by being active yourself. As your child gets older and more capable, let him or her help with simple household chores that they can handle comfortably. Exercise together as a family — you can entice them to move their bodies around with song and dance, for example. You can also try other ways such as making obstacle courses or have a mini telematics indoors — anything that will catch their interest and prompt some physical activity. Also, encourage your children to explore and play outdoors while you supervise them.
