Exercise in children

Making sure your children are healthy and happy can feel like a constant battle. So many things can have an influence on how they react on the world around them, but ensuring that they have the support and structure of a healthy lifestyle taught by parents can make their world easier to deal with.

What should a parent do in order to make sure their child lives an active life?

Many things are important when it comes to an active lifestyle – both for adults and children, but some simple guidelines can help:

Practice what you preach The most effective way to encourage children to be active, is when you set the example by leading an active lifestyle.
Routine, routine, routine If physical exercise is part of your routine it doesn’t have to be a struggle every time. Make sure that you incorporate an active game outside, a walk in the neighbourhood, a bike ride or any other feasible activity in your routine.
If it’s available, it will be used Make sure your kids have toys and equipment that encourage physical activity and discourages sedentary activity
Family OUTings Make time for trips to a park or other open area where your kids are encouraged to play and run around
Support Encourage your children’s participation in sports and support them during practice times as well as the times when they compete
Fun is the name of the game When kids are having fun, they care less about the actual physical activity. Play a game outside, take your family to play tennis, netball, rugby, etc. together, swim together
Less TV time Set a time when your kids like to watch their favourite program, watch it together and then turn the TV off. Even playing an indoor game will bond you as a family and discourage constant sitting.
Safety first Make sure your kids are safe when they are active. Take them for swimming lessons if you have a pool or want them to swim, ensure that they wear safety gear such as a helmet when the ride on their bike. Also choose activities that are appropriate for their age group. (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015)

What is the importance of exercise?

As times have changed, people have become more inactive. We travel more by car than walking or cycling to work or school, we take the car to be washed by other people and the cleaning activities at home – vacuuming, washing clothes and washing dishes – are often done by machines.

Physical activity ensures that we retain both our physical and our mental health. Inactive people have a higher tendency towards depression and anxiety and have an increased risk to become overweight and develop diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases (Taylor, 2012). Through exercise the body’s stress hormone levels (e.g. cortisol and adrenaline) are decreased and endorphins are produced that work as natural pain killers and mood enhancers (Harvard, 2011).

How does exercise contribute to better concentration in class?

Exercise has a variety health benefits for a child’s body and mind. A study measuring the brain activity in children, showed increased neural activity after children went for a 20 minute walk compared to when they were sitting still (Active Living Research, 2015). Exercise increases blood circulation and oxygen delivery to the brain. It may also have a beneficial effect on the performance in children with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Berwid, 2012).

Active Living Research, 2015. Active Education: Growing Evidence on Physical Activity and Academic Performance: January 2015.

Berwid, O. G. & Halperin, J. M., 2012. Emerging Support for a Role of Exercise in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Intervention Planning. Current Psychiatry Reports: October 2012, Volume 14, Issue 5, pp 543–551.

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015. Making Physical Activity a Part of a Child's Life. Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Freepik. 2017. Background of lovely children playing in the park. https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/background-of-lovely-children-playing-in-the-park_950743.htm#term=kids&page=1&position=3 Harvard Health Publications, 2011. Exercising to relax. Harvard Men's Health Watch: February 2011.