Kids and Exercise
Movement is a beneficial health habit for all ages. Added benefits of developing movement habits at a young age are earlier exposure to types of exercise, sports, and other forms of movement that they can carry throughout their lifetime.
Young children will often idealize people in their lives who are important to them, if they have a role model or parent that supports exercise habits or engages in them as well, children will be more excited to engage in these same behaviors.
Why is this important?
With school shortly out and national bicycle day around the corner, let’s discuss the benefits of exercise and movement habits with children.
Riding a bike for the first time is often a memory people do not forget, it is challenging, exciting, and filled with a sense of accomplishment. This is a great metaphor for any new habit.
Creating and maintaining habits can be a difficult but worthwhile process. If there is a child in your life, you could be a great influence in helping them to create healthy habits, such as movement which could carry throughout their life. “It is of paramount importance to help children to develop the knowledge, skills, and motivation to lead an active lifestyle from a young age” (Ha et al., 2019). Having a supportive person or role model can impact a child in many beneficial ways.
Children look up to these people for support, learning, and guidance. The benefits of learning and movement together are a way to bring the body and mind into connection. “During childhood, kids improve their body awareness, control, and balance through active play” (Mayo, 2022). While active playing can be fun and reap many physical health benefits, inactivity among the youth is becoming more and more prevalent (Ha et al., 2019).
Ways to inspire more movement can include outside activities, games, team-based sports, and group movement activities among many other forms of movement. When finding a type of activity that children may enjoy, make sure to consider their age, physical abilities, and what they naturally find an interest in. Other forms of non-structured activities can be games or recreation such as recess.
Supporting curiosity about movement is a way to help them find what they are passionate about or where they might thrive. Young people can develop social skills and interaction when involved in activities with others. Communication and cognitive abilities are enhanced through social well-being.
More benefits of starting physical activity habits at a young age include: “preventing illness and maintaining health, it contributes to increased bone density, healthy body composition, improved posture, and reduced injury occurrence, regular physical activity can also contribute to improved self-concept, greater mental discipline, enhanced social skills, improved lifestyle attitudes and better performance in school” (Paediatrics & child health, 1998).
Frequent bouts of physical activity can bring short-term benefits for mental and cognitive health as well, including building self-confidence and autonomy (Tomporowsk et al., 2008). Long-term health benefits can include decreased risks of various lifestyle-related conditions such as; “heart disease, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, obesity, and metabolic syndrome” (Tomporowsk et al., 2008).
Whether you are volunteering, teaching, nannying, coaching, or spending time with friends and family, helping to support the healthy habits of younger people is a great way to impact their health and your own. Engaging in physical activities and playing with children is a way to improve personal health and can be a fun way to increase movement throughout the day.
Tips to Getting Kids Moving
- Lead by example
- Find fun games to play with kids outside that involve movement
- Go to a park or a nearby place with a jungle gym
- Help to find a type of sport, dance, or movement-based class or team that the child enjoys
- Support what types of interest the child has, if they are not interested, try not to force them but instead ask if there is something else they enjoy
- Have kids help out with household chores and yard work can be a way to share with them aspects of responsibility while also moving together
- Make family habits of walking or bike riding together, this can be a way to bond as well as support more daily movement
For more topics and tips around overall health and wellness check out the Ate app!
References
Gao, Z., Chen, S., Sun, H., Wen, X., & Xiang, P. (2018). Physical Activity in Children’s Health and Cognition. BioMed research international, 2018, 8542403. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8542403
Ha, A. S., Ng, J., Lonsdale, C., Lubans, D. R., & Ng, F. F. (2019). Promoting physical activity in children through family-based intervention: protocol of the “Active 1 + FUN” randomized controlled trial. BMC public health, 19(1), 218. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6537-3
Kohl, H. W. (2013). Educating the student body taking physical activity and Physical Education to school. National Academies Press.
Safe exercise for children and adolescents. (1998). Paediatrics & child health, 3(5), 343–344. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/3.5.343
Tomporowski, P. D., Davis, C. L., Miller, P. H., & Naglieri, J. A. (2008). Exercise and Children’s Intelligence, Cognition, and Academic Achievement. Educational psychology review, 20(2), 111–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-007-9057-0
