Kids should be active in order to be content and grow up strong, intelligent, happy, and healthy. The regulatory bodies that present evidence-based guidance for physical exercise advocate for at least one hour a day of moderate to strenuous physical activity starting at age five.
Before that, toddlers and young children should be active at least three times a day, accumulating three hours of variable kinds and physical activity levels throughout the day.
Americans Are Moving Less
Obesity and overweight are often caused when energy intake (calories) exceeds int energy your body uses. As such, we’re more likely to be overweight if we have unhealthy eating habits and if we’re physically inactive.
Additionally, to the amount of physical activity people do during their spare time, recent studies prove that children’s physical activity tends to decay during middle childhood and adolescence. This decline in physical activity may be partly due to the fact that we live in a digital world where many children and adults sit in front of mobile screens or computers.
In an all-tech world, people are becoming less and less physically active. In addition to this not-so-active lifestyle, studies suggest that, in general, American families are also enjoying oversized food portions and consuming processed foods, fast foods, and high in sugar foods.
Time For A Change:
1. Focus On Food
No matter the schools are closed – you can still pack a lunch for your little ones, even when they’re not going to school. It pays if they’re spending a few hours at a day camp. But they can also take it along to the pool or on a hike or park, instead of invading the vending machines or grabbing fast food. Ensure you fill that brown bag with vegetables, fruits, protein, whole grains, and avoid sweetened drinks.
Back at home, swap out the junk food in your fridge and pantry (soda, chips, cookies, fatty frozen fats) for healthier stuff. When your little ones want to raid the kitchen during the day, they will have better foods to choose from.
Take advantage of their extra downtime to get them involved with their foods, too. Why not plant a garden to keep them active or visit a farmers’ market to choose from all the in-season produce? You can let them choose melons, tomatoes, or peppers and then make dinner together. Studies have shown that kids who learn how to grow and cook their own food eat more vegetables and fruits.
2. Stick To Screen Time Limits
To them, marathon sessions of video games or the TV may seem to be a great way to pass a summer day. The truth is, some extra time in front of a screen only replaces other activities that are healthier/better for them, like getting a good night of sleep or playing outside.
Not only that, but nobody wants their children to develop an unhealthy weight gain – the more you allow them to watch TV, the more likely they are to gain extra pounds.
The summer is near, so you want them to get physically active, too. Keep screen limits at home the way you would during the school year. (No rules around screens? Maybe this summer could be a good chance to test them out.) Plan times when devices aren’t allowed (around dinner) and create media-free zones at home.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids around 2 to 5 years old should spend no more than 1 hour per day with apps or high-quality TV, and that older kids should have consistent limits on how long they use smartphones, TV, or computers.
Plus, there are a plethora of fun ways to spend a summer day that doesn’t involve the internet. Help your little ones come up with a list of activities they love to try during the day.
3. Get Outside And Get Active
There is no better time to show them that moving is enjoyable. Without regular exercise, your child’s health will suffer. Research from the American Journal of Public Health showed the body mass index of more than 5,000 first-graders and kindergartners increased by nearly twice as much during summertime, compared with the rest of the school year.
Make sure your kid gets at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day!
- Encourage them to bike, walk, skate or rollerblade to get to their friends’ houses or places they want to go. (within an acceptable distance).
- Enroll your children in recreational programs or local sports. Churches, community centers, Queens’s day camps, and sports camps.
You can always ask your child for feedback on which sport or camp sounds most appealing.
- Invest in a monthly pass to a local swimming pool. (No to mention summer can be the best time to enroll them in swimming lessons).
- Take daily visits to a local park for exploration, nature, and play.
- Why not go camping? A family outing to a national or state park or a nearby recreational area offers plenty of fun and exercise.
- Host sprinkler parties in your backyard.
- Volunteer. Children can volunteer for lots of activities such as dog walks at the local animal shelter, collect food for local food banks or serve meals to the less fortunate.
- Tour local zoos, aquariums, and museums. Not only will your little one get your steps in, but your kid can also acquire new interests, learn about new topics and history.
- Make time for some good old-fashioned outdoor activity. Go outside with your kids to play hopscotch, tug-of-war, or throw a ball.
Make your family time count. Schedule a time every day when you all ride bikes, take a walk, play tag in the backyard, play soccer, jump rope, dance or swim. It all adds to the 60 great minutes of activity children need every day – regardless of the season.
With a little planning, it’s easy to find the right balance of relaxation, fun, enrichment, and positive mental health.
