As parents of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers know very well, young children seem to always be in motion except when they’re asleep. Still, it’s a good idea to start thinking about adult-led, structured physical fitness activities for children who are two and older, rather than just assuming that your child gets enough exercise from moving around the house. Also, the best way to encourage kids to exercise is when adults teach by example, and it’s never to early to start building a lifetime of physical fitness.
For young children, the best way to offer physical exercise is through fun, creative games and easy everyday activities. Try adding a few extra minutes of exercise to routine activities for both you and your child. For example, when you go shopping, park a little farther away and walk to the store together. Or are there any errands you can do by walking around your neighborhood rather than driving from place to place?
Be your child’s favorite playmate and lead by example, sharing fun experiences each day. In addition to walking, other fun activities to do with your child include dancing, visiting local parks or playgrounds, riding bikes or tricycles, and playing traditional games like tag and follow the leader. The best place to exercise with kids is generally in your own home or backyard. Throw or roll a ball back and forth. Toss beanbags into a basket or bucket. You don’t need to buy any special equipment to exercise with your child.
Children often like to help around the house, and they can engage in parallel play and enjoy healthy physical activity while sweeping the floor with their own small broom, gardening or digging in the sandbox with their own tools while you work in the yard, going up and down the stairs with you as you do laundry, and so on. Try starting small: each day, simply replace a half-hour of sedentary activity like TV watching with something more active.
There’s a healthy balance between giving children some guided physical activities that promote exercise, and allowing completely unguided time for free play. Kids should have at least an hour a day (but ideally several hours) of completely unstructured playtime. With children who are preschool age or younger, the emphasis should always be on fun and never on competition.
When choosing a child care center or preschool for your child, be sure that the program includes time each day for guided physical activity as well as plenty of space to run, jump, climb, and play. Exercise is an important part of any education program because it not only supports the physical health of children but also their mental and emotional well-being. Increased physical health has been proven to show improvements in academic achievement as children grow older.
Many local schools offer daily exercise opportunities for children. If you’re in the Clifton Park, NY area, SmartEarly Learning Centers can provide your children with both indoor and outdoor play areas mindfully designed to meet the developmental and physical fitness needs of preschoolers, toddlers, and infants, too, with separate play areas for each age group.
In partnership with your preschool or child care center, it’s easy to be intentional about making time for physical activity for your kids, and you’ll find lots of opportunities for daily exercise.
