Physical activity is essential for people of all age groups. For your child’s health, physical activity couldn’t be more important. Your child’s physical, mental and emotional development depends on it. Children between the ages of six and seventeen should get around 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
Here is why physical activity is so important for your kiddos.
How Physical Activity Promotes Development
1. Physical Growth
Exercise is just as important as food when it comes to physical growth. It helps your child build stronger muscles and bones. Developing a foundation for physical activity from a young age promotes bone mass and density which will benefit them later in life.
2. Weight Management
The best way to keep your child at a healthy weight is by allowing them to get enough physical activity. It can be hard to resist your child begging for junk food or to watch their favorite shows all day but ensuring they get moving along with a healthy diet will be best to avoid child and adult obesity.
3. Better Posture and Motor Skills
Slouching is common for many children and exercise can help fight this. It may not seem like a big deal if your child has bad posture, but improving posture can increase core and spine strength. Body aches and pains or spine deformation can come from bad posture, so you will want to ensure the risk is reduced by promoting exercise.
Physical activity for younger children will help the development of their motor skills. These help them master everyday movements necessary for the rest of their lives. A child’s basic motor skills include feeding themselves, tying shoelaces and writing.
4. Better Health and Fitness
Physical strength has tons of benefits and is built from exercise. Walking long distances without feeling tired or being able to perform daily tasks with their physical strength is a great foundation for fundamental strength and endurance. Exercise can also help with flexibility and stability.
Children who are obese are at risk for developing cardiovascular diseases like high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes later in life or at a young age. This is why promoting all forms of exercise to your children is important.
5. Cognitive and Social Development
Exercise is equally beneficial to the body as it is to the brain. Nerve cells in the brain are triggered, which can result in improved concentration and better memory. These traits are essential for life and succeeding in school.
Getting involved with sports as a form of exercise can allow your child to make friends. They further develop and nurture their social skills since team sports prioritize communication skills, whether they are nonverbal, practicing teamwork or adopting leadership roles. If sports isn’t their thing, going to the playground is a great workout and allows your child to meet new people while having fun. No matter how they prefer to exercise, there are sure to be benefits.
6. Better Mental Health
Depending on the child, exercise can seem like something they dread. Once they get into the swing of things and find a form of exercise they enjoy, it can become therapeutic. Exercise is excellent for releasing stress and anxiety. The brain releases hormones that promote better moods creating a happy attitude for the rest of the day.
Along with mental health and mood benefits, your child’s self-esteem can also be boosted. If they do play a sport, enhancing their skills can raise their confidence and weight control promotes a healthy self-image. Being involved with things and making friends can also improve your children’s self-esteem.
Best Exercises for Children
Planning exercises for children does not have to be complicated. Along with the activities they enjoy, you can encourage them to get comfortable with other movements they are not as familiar with. Some movements are better for children than others. Try incorporating these exercises if you need help determining what physical activity your children will enjoy.
Jumping
Chances are that your child is already full of energy and bouncing around the house is likely. Including jumping as a form of physical activity is perfect so that you can include games involved with it too. A bounce house or trampoline is a fun way to get your child to want to exercise.
The simple act of jumping helps strengthen muscles and gets the heart pumping for cardio. Getting the perfect landing helps with coordination and balance. No matter if they are using a jump rope or trampoline to jump, it is sure to provide many benefits.
Running
Running is a great aerobic exercise. Most of the time, children are already running around, so it won’t be challenging to get them to do it. You do not have to stick to regular jogs but turn them into something fun. Try activities like a kickball game or racing to spice things up.
The Bottom Line
Exercising has many benefits for your child’s health. Not all exercise has to be boring, so finding things they love to do while getting into activity is the best way to get them into the habit. Be sure they take rest days and stay hydrated to ensure their health is in the best shape.