Whether you have a toddler, preschooler or
older child, their energy stores are never ending. Just when you thought they
had climbed and raced enough, they still had enough energy for another game of
tag. Why is that GREAT NEWS? Why should we be encouraging more activity outdoors?
Because it promotes health-related fitness and movement skills, with the added
bonus of stimulating brain activity (see my article titled: Exercise + Child =
Enhanced Brian Development).
Daily physical activity can be sometimes very
hard to 'fit into' the schedule of already busy lives. But fortunately kids
naturally love getting outdoors and running around, they don't see it as exercise,
but as fun. However us, the parents or
caregivers, stifle a natural need to exert energy and exercise different muscle
groups because we are time poor. The TV, computer, and interactive games - are
good baby sitters, but are keeping our kids indoors. They are not getting their
daily requirement of exercise - which to
them is just great fun.
So how much 'FUN EXERCISE' is enough? The
National Association for Sport & Physical Education has some fantastic
guidelines for different age groups, which I have tabled below:
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Infants
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1
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Infants should interact with parents and/or
caregivers in daily physical activities that are dedicated to promoting the
exploration of their environment.
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2
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Infants should be placed in safe settings that
facilitate physical activity and do not restrict movement for prolonged
periods of time.
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3
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Infants' physical activity should promote the
development of movement skills.
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4
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Infants should have an environment that meets or
exceeds recommended safety standards for performing large muscle activities.
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5
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Individuals responsible for the well-being of
infants should be aware of the importance of physical activity and facilitate
the child's movement skills.
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Toddlers
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1
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30 minutes daily, accumulated, structured physical
activity.
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2
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60 minutes minimum and up to several hours per
day of daily of unstructured physical activity.
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3
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Should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes
at a time except when sleeping.
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4
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Toddlers should develop movement skills that are
building blocks for more complex movement tasks.
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Preschoolers
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1
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60 minutes minimum, accumulated daily of
structured physical activity.
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2
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60 minutes minimum and up to several hours of
daily, unstructured physical activity
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3
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Should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes
at a time except when sleeping.
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6-12 Year Olds
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1
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60
minutes minimum, accumulated, and up to several hours, of age appropriate physical
activity on all, or most days of the week, and should include moderate and
vigorous physical activity
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2
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Children
should participate each day in a variety of age appropriate physical activity
lasting 15 minutes or more each day
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3
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Extended
periods - that is of 2 or more hours - of inactivity is discouraged for
children, especially during the daytime hours.
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This all looks a little daunting - and could
look like more running around from one sports field or dance studio to another,
and laying out copious amounts of money forever - but in essence you don't have
to do that. Just creating obstacle courses outdoors in your own back yard or a
park with say frisbee games, ball games, jumping games, tactical games, climbing structures,
hoops and trampolines - you have your own gym and exercise / FUN place to play
for hours and hours.
