Why are Physical Activities Important for Children? What Is Its Role in Healthy Development?

Physical activities are considered to be the most important factor for any child’s better health, wellbeing, and all-around development. Exercises and outdoor physical activities for children will help them in building strong muscles, bones, stamina, and agility, which acts as a perfect stimulus for a kid’s body to adapt and healthily move forward towards a brighter future.

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Building a good physical foundation at a young age helps them to maintain a perfect balance between bone mass and density. It further helps them in dodging fatal bone-related diseases like osteoporosis in old age.

In the below discussion, we have listed down some essential advantages of physical activities for children, including how are physical activities beneficial for children with special needs?

Also Read: How to Inculcate the Habit of Yoga and Physical Exercise in Your Kids? Guide to a Healthy Life

Why are Physical Activities Important for Children?

Many individuals believe that “becoming in shape” entails strenuous exercise. To be physically active, though, you do not need to spend hours at a gym. People can become in shape at home by doing regular activities.

Your health and fitness levels improve every time you and your child climb a flight of stairs, toss a softball, swim a lap, walk to the store, or carry packages.

What Is Its Role in Healthy Development?

The heart is a muscle, and like other muscles, it enhances its performance when it is consistently exercised. Exercise causes the heart to become stronger and more efficient.

Exercise helps a person’s blood contain less dangerous cholesterol and lipids. It helps to reduce blood pressure by increasing the flexibility of blood vessel walls. This can lower a person’s chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

Working hard increases lung capacity and efficiency when it comes to transporting air in and out of the body. As a result, the body absorbs more oxygen and expels more carbon dioxide and other waste gases. Exercise helps to reduce the natural fall in oxygen intake that occurs as people age.

Kids to Exercise Daily

When a person is inactive, he consumes more calories than he needs. Fat accumulates as a result of these wasted calories. A physically active person may have a calorie deficit, which burns fat and helps them lose weight. Weight loss is healthy to the heart and can help patients with diabetes.

People who exercise regularly report feeling more energised, being able to be more active, and being less likely to weary during the day.

Benefits of Physical Activities for Children

Physical activities bring multifarious benefits to a child’s growth. These are another form of fun activity for children, through which they also develop a healthy and strong body. Below are some of the major benefits of physical activities for children that perfectly answers why are physical activities important for children?

Also Read: Why Activity Based Learning is Important? 5 Benefits of Activity Based Learning for your Kids

Helps Develop Good Posture

Physical activity gives children a decent posture. Activities and exercise help improve the core and spine strength, which reduces the instances of body aches and reduces deformation in the spine. It prevents the problems caused by excessive slouching- a common problem found in children of all ages.

Develops Motor Abilities

Motor skills are movement and actions of muscles, which children develop with age. Some of the basic movements and activities like walking, running, balancing, tying shoelaces, writing, and learning, require motor skills. Physical activities can help develop motor skills in your children and help them become independent.

Builds Endurance

Laying the foundation of regular physical activities for your kids will yield tons of benefits. They will understand the importance of fitness and durability. Exercise builds endurance which will help your child have strength, flexibility, and agility in day-to-day functioning.

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Improved Cognitive Development

Regular exercise and physical activities foster better brain development. During exercise, the brain’s nerve cells trigger and multiply to form new connections. This ultimately leads to improved concentration and enhanced memory. It positively impacts your kid’s academic abilities and overall emotional development.

Builds Self-esteem

Physical activities and exercises also boost a kid’s self-esteem and confidence. If your kid is good at a particular sport or exercise, it would build confidence in your child. For children with special needs, physical activity brings a sense of achievement that boosts confidence in them.

Children develop a healthy image of themselves when they understand that exercising keeps them in shape. Exercise is also a good way to make friends and be a part of any social group, which will ultimately work for your child’s self-esteem.

Also Read: Indoor Physical Activities for Kids: Help Your Child Embrace Her/ His Energy

What are Physical Activities Required for Children?

There are majorly three types of exercises that should be focused on in the early phases of any child’s exercising. These three types of exercises are

#Aerobic

#Weight Bearing

#Strength Training

Below are some of the best exercises that you can introduce to your kids –

Jogging and Sprinting

For exercises like jogging and running, you generally won’t have to force much on your children as they already love to run. Jogging and running are good for cardiovascular health and helps to prevent high cholesterol and other related metabolic conditions. It is the most basic yet most important aerobic exercise for your kids.

Planks

Planks might not be a fun exercise, but it is the most beneficial exercise when it comes to strength training. Planks keep your kid’s core and spine strong, along with posture and perfect balance. To get your kids to do planks, you can organise mini-competitions with other kids and spice them up.

Jumping

Kids love trampolines, isn’t it? Jumping can prove to be an excellent weight-bearing exercise. Jumping helps kids to strengthen their muscles and improve muscle balance and coordination. It is also good heart-pumping cardio. The best way to make your kids practice jumping is by handing them a skipping rope. A skipping rope will surely excite them to jump.

Also Read: Parenting Tips for Toddler: Make Your Kids Mentally and Physically Healthy

What is the Recommended Amount of Physical Activity for Children?

In general, it is believed that children above the age of six years should be at least involved in one hour of physical activities and exercise daily. This one hour can be broken down into several shorter intervals in a day.

Also, the general rule is that the number of hours of physical activities in a week should not be above the child’s age. The intensity of these activities should be moderate to vigorous.

A combination of strength training, aerobics and weight-bearing exercises is an ideal fitness plan for children because it focuses on overall growth and development.

However, consult your doctor or paediatrician before making any drastic changes in your children’s daily routines.

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Conclusion

Physical activities are the absolute gateway to channelise your child’s effective development. The benefits of physical activities flow down to many years of your child’s adulthood as well.

So, it is highly recommended to engage your children in more physical activities and exercises. Structure a moderate workout schedule for your kids and play fun games to make it exciting.

Though as parents, you also have the responsibility to keep exercises safe. Make sure to take the right precautions, like keeping your kids hydrated, involving fewer exertions, making them wear the right attire, and guiding them through proper warm-ups and cool-downs.

We here at Real School Of Montessori are dedicated to helping parents guide their kids to holistic growth. Stay connected with our regular blogs and help your kids develop skills that empower character strength and a fighting spirit, which include tenacity, resilience, persistence, and drive your child to a healthy path of development.

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