For parents, it can be hard to get children into the
habit of having a healthy and active lifestyle, but getting
involved in activities as a family will make children more likely
to grow into active adults.
Sharing an activity can also help you spend more quality time
with your child. As parents you will play a vital role in shaping
what your children think about physical activity and how much they
do.
Physical activity benefits children. By getting active they will
be happier, they will sleep better at night and listen well and
learn more at school. You will be able to control their weight
and they will grow up to be healthy and strong.
Getting active is a good way for children to meet new friends,
it also reduces anxiety and stress and helps to manage their
behaviour.
The Department of Health
recommends children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a
day. This can be broken up into chunks, for example a 20
minute walk to school, 20 minutes of running around in the
playground at lunchtime and a 20 minute Frisbee session in the park
after school.
Try to make sure the exercise is moderate, which means children
are slightly out of breath and slightly sweaty, not that they are
so out of breath that they cannot talk.
There are lots of activities you can do with your children. Try
to find something they enjoy. For example, football is great for
balance and general co-ordination. It is also a good social
activity which builds up the idea of working in a team, an
important skill for later in life.
Cycling helps
improve balance, rhythm and builds up strength in leg muscles.
Tennis improves hand to eye co-ordination and concentration.
Service and twisting help to work the upper limbs and trunk.
Swimming is a great
all-round exercise which works many of the body’s muscles,
including the arms, legs and back.
And walking is
an easy and cheap way to get active. It is also a good idea
to try to get children
walking to school.
Eating well is also an important part of family life. For
more details visit our
diet advice for children and families page.
Many factors affect a child's weight. For more information
visit the
healthy weight for
children hub website.
For more information about healthy and active
lifestyles visit our leisure centre
and young persons key (YPK) pages or these
websites:
Or contact our Go4Life team.
