Staying Physically Active is Important For Kids!
Being physically
active helps children to:
- Maintain a healthy
weight
- Reduce their risk for
diabetes
- Lower blood pressure
- Build strong muscles
- Reduce stress
Being active through
the school day helps children to:
- Increase attention
and focus
- Improve behaviors
- Improve grades
- Develop abilities to
succeed throughout their school life and share with their families
How Much Physical Activity Do Children Need?
Children and adolescents should do
60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day, according to the CDC Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
The recommendation for at least 60 minutes of
physical activity each day doesn't have to be done all at one time. So your
child could meet his physical activity requirements if he were to walk or ride
his bike to and from school (20 minutes), play actively at recess at school (20
minutes) and then go to a gymnastics class after school (20 minutes).
The CDC Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend including following types of activity into your
child’s daily physical activity:
Aerobic Physical
Activity
Most of your child's 60 minutes of daily physical activity
should be aerobic physical activity. Active free play games, such as playing tag,
and participating in most youth sports, such as soccer, karate and tennis, is
also aerobic physical activities. Others may include:
- Bicycling
- Brisk walking
- Dancing
- Hopping
- Jumping rope
- Rollerblading
- Running
- Skipping
- Swimming
Muscle Strengthening Physical
Activity
In addition to aerobic activities, kids should do some
age-appropriate muscle-strengthening physical activity. Active free play games,
such as playing tug-of-war, and for older kids, doing push-ups, pull-ups, and
lifting weights is also muscle-strengthening physical activities. Others may
include:
- Cheerleading
- Gymnastics
- Rock climbing
- Rope climbing
- Sit-ups or crunches
- Swinging on playground equipment and bars
Bone Strengthening
Physical Activity
It is important to also include bone strengthening physical
activity into your child’s daily 60 minutes. Active free play games, such as
playing hop-scotch, is also bone-strengthening physical activities. Others may
include:
- Hopping, skipping or jumping
- Jumping rope
- Running
- Playing basketball, gymnastics, tennis and volleyball,
etc.
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Last updated 10/27/11
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