Children who are 6-12 years of age require physical activity to build strength, coordination, and confidence. Physical Activity also lays the groundwork for a healthy lifestyle down the road. It can be a time for children to gain more control over how active they can be and participate in what activities to partake in.
It is very important to give children as many opportunities as possible to be active and to help your child be involved in a variety of activities whether it is sports or games. However, make sure the activities fit the child’s needs and their personalities. Brainstorm with your child to choose the activities that are right for him or her, most of the time children won’t mind a dose of fitness, as long as it is fun.
The National Association for Sports and Physical Education has made these recommendations for school age children:
- Children should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
- Activities should be broken down during the day into short sessions to keep your child from becoming bored or losing their focus.
- Inactivity for more than 2 consecutive hours should be avoided.
Many parents think of exercise as being organized like basketball or baseball etc. However, there are other options that can keep your child/children moving at home.
- Implement physical activity into their daily routine at home. It can be from household chores to an after dinner walk.
- Children need time to play. A lot of times children can burn more calories and have more fun when they are left to their own devices such as; playing tag, riding bikes, winter sledding, and building snowmen.
- Keep a variety of games and sports equipment on hand. They don’t need to be expensive. Have an assortment of balls, jump ropes and other inexpensive equipment to keep your child busy. Wonderful children/kids exercise DVD’s can be checked out from the library or purchased at a store. Other activities such as tinkling, dancing/marching with music, trips to the park and pool, or jumping on a trampoline or mini tramp are also great physical activities for children.
- You can be active with your child. It will motivate you as a parent to get going and children love to play with their parents.
- Limit your child’s time doing sedentary activities, such as watching TV, going online, or playing video games.
If the child gets bored with the above activities take advantage of the local play grounds or athletic fields. Make it fun; let the child help you pick out what activity to do, like hiking, swimming, etc. as long as everyone participates.
Part of helping your child commit to fitness is for the parent to be a role model, and showing the child how important exercise really is. When developing an exercise program for your child keep in mind the child’s age, developmental level, their natural abilities, and interests. This will assist the child in learning to set goals, meet challenges, learn sportsmanship, how to be part of a team, and the value of practice. If your child doesn’t like sports be creative and come up with ideas to help them get the physical activity they need. There are some great ideas listed above.
As a parent if you notice your child refuses to play or interact, or complains of pain you should consult your local physician. A child that has a chronic health condition or disability should not be excluded from fitness activities; all your child may need is certain adaptations to participate in physical activity.
Children who enjoy and participate in sports and exercise tend to stay active throughout their lives. It helps the child develop self confidence, self esteem and aides in helping to maintain a healthy weight, while decreasing the risk of diseases or a serious illness.