It’s not uncommon to hear that children just aren’t active enough. Physical fitness doesn’t just affect a child’s physical wellbeing, it also influences the emotional and mental development of children. Physical fitness also helps to combat obesity as well as improve a child’s self-esteem which becomes more important as they grow older. If you consider sports, these help a child to develop higher order cognitive skills such as make decisions, self-evaluate and solve problems.
What is being Physically Fit for A Child
When we refer to being active we are not talking about going to the gym as an adult would, it’s more about active playing and being able to move freely and explore the environment in which a child is in.
In an early childhood care centre for an infant this means a child can play on the floor and are able to move about freely. For instance, tummy time is a great opportunity which allows young infants the opportunity to develop muscles which are needed when they get a little older, such as crawling and walking as well the opportunity to reach out and grab hold of things. Many infants dislike tummy time when they first experience it and for this reason tummy time needs to start off slowly. It could be that an infant only spends one minute on their tummy to begin with and this can gradually increase. If this doesn’t work then try tummy time using the infants favourite toy.
Once an infant is able to crawl or shuffle then the aim for a childcare centre would be to create an environment which is still safe for an infant and allows them to be able to move around with no restrictions. Where possible, anything that restricts free movement needs to be avoided i.e. play pens, car seats, high chairs etc.
When an infant is able to walk, being physically active is still related to active play but it may change somewhat as the child is able to use age appropriate equipment such as bikes, trike, scooters etc. Children at this age should be involved in active play such as using climbing frames, ball games, chasing one another or playing in water. Children of this age need to spend around 3 hours a day being active.
Apart from when they are sleeping, children under the age of 5 need to avoid being inactive for long periods. Traveling by car, train or bus, watching TV, playing on tablets or being strapped into a car seat or a pram is not healthy for a child at this age as its believed that these can impact a child’s development and their health.
Why is Physical Fitness Important?
Here are the many other benefits of children being fit and active:
- It helps with cardiovascular fitness.
- It affects development and healthy growth.
- It strengthens bones and or promotes muscle development.
- It helps with posture.
- It helps to keep weight regular.
- It develops flexibility.
- It helps to develop fine and gross motor skills.
- It improves sleep, confidence and self-esteem.
- It helps to provide opportunities for socialisation.
- It improves strength, coordination and balance.
- It improves thinking skills and concentration.
How can Physical Fitness be Encouraged?
Children are more likely to be physically active when they are outside rather than inside. For this reason, opportunities for outdoor play need to be plentiful. In an outdoor environment, children are likely to walk, hop, skip and run. Early childcare centres could provide children with resources such as:
- Balancing boards
- Bean bags
- Scarves and ribbons
- Tunnels
- Balls
- Skipping ropes
- Swings
- Ladders
- Slides/playground equipment
- Cones
These can help children to develop skills such as:
- Jumping
- Climbing
- Stepping
- Balancing
- Running
- Skipping
- Rolling
- Twirling
- Pushing and pulling
- Hopping
- Crouching
- Catching and throwing
On days where the weather is wet, make sure that children still have access to outdoor play by having wellington boots, umbrellas and waterproof clothing.
How Can Adults Help?
Adults can assist with children’s physical fitness opportunities by:
- Allow children the opportunity to play with equipment in the way that they wish and at their own pace.
- Making sure that opportunities to play are available as much as possible.
- Making sure that the play environment is safe and that there are no obstructions in the way.
- Ensuring that play equipment is safe and well looked after.
- Joining in when children are playing and provide them with helpful advice and encouragement.
- Demonstrating to children how to play and encouraging children to take part and take turns.
- Using appropriate language and vocabulary related to play
Light Vs Energetic Activity
Children under the age of 5 need to take part in both light and energetic activity:
Light activates include: moving around, standing up, walking and play which is not energetic.
Energetic Activities include: riding a bike/trike, running about, jumping on a trampoline, climbing, gymnastics, swimming, dancing, using a skipping rope and being involved in active play i.e. hide and seek. When a child plays a game of tag, they’re not only having a great time, but also burning off a ton of energy and will often lead to other energetic games.
Energetic activates are suitable for children who are able to walk and will make children out of breath and involve using bursts of energy.
From all of the above we can see that it’s been suggested that children need around three hours of physical activity each day. Early childhood care centres need to try and avoid more than 60 minutes of sedentary activity at any one time (aside of sleeping) and break up time by implementing small activities such as a 5-minute wake up exercise or a quick stretch break in order to encourage physical activity and fitness in children. By implementing these small changes, you’ll see massive changes in your child’s well being in no time.