Dear Teachers Q & A

Physical Activity—An Absolute Necessity for Children

Parents: The benefits of physical activity are well-known. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that physical activity helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints. And according to the AAP, it helps keep a healthy body mass and reduces the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease later in life. Plus, studies show that when children exercise sufficiently, benefits include such things as better school performance, higher self-esteem as well as better attention and behavior.

Are Your Children as Physically Active as They Should Be?

            The older children get, the less physically active they are likely to be. Only one in four high school students will exercise for an hour a day. Furthermore, all the research shows that few children meet the well-researched standards set by the AAP and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Compare how active your children are to these standards:

• Infants: Supervised daily tummy time and other interactive play, spread throughout the day.
• Children ages 3-5 years: At least 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity per day, and they should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time except when sleeping. Activities should be light, moderate and vigorous.
• Children 5-17: Should have 60 minutes of physical activity daily with its being vigorous activity at least three days a week.

Why Aren’t Children Getting the Physical Activity They Need?

            The way we live has changed. No longer are most children walking or riding their bikes to school. Then there is all the time children spend online, which has lessened physical activity especially for girls, and their attachment to social media. Another factor is the squeezing out of physical education classes and recess time with the increased emphasis on academic subjects. Ideally, children in elementary school should spend at least 30 minutes every day in P.E. classes, and for middle school and high school students, the time expands to 45 minutes. While the average length of elementary school recess time is 30 minutes a day, too many teachers stop children who have misbehaved or not done their schoolwork from having any recess time. Few states actually establish a minimum number of minutes that children should have for recess, but almost none mention the issue of teachers’ withholding recess time.

            It doesn’t make sense that many schools are not devoting sufficient time for physical activities during the day. After all, students spend so much of the day in school and then doing homework and other non-physical extracurricular activities that there is often little time for physical activity after school. If your children’s school is not offering the amount of physical activity your children need, it is a great topic for discussion and explanation at parent/teacher meetings with the purpose of increasing activity time.

Appropriate Types of Activities

            Not all physical activity is appropriate for every age group. Infants need to be in settings that promote skill development in movement. Parents and caregivers can give them spontaneous opportunities when diapering, bathing and dressing them and through games like pat-a-cake and peekaboo. Children ages 3-5 should be encouraged to play. They do not need formal muscle strengthening programs, such as lifting weights. They will strengthen their muscles by playing on a jungle gym, climbing trees or simply walking, running and jumping outside. Older children ages 6-17 should be doing aerobic activities that make their hearts beat faster. They should also be strengthening their muscles through activities like climbing or doing push-ups. They also need to be doing bone-strengthening activities like jumping or running. When children become adolescents, they can start structured weight-lifting programs, which may be part of sports team practices.

            Many children enjoy participating in team sports. When they first start a sport, around age 5, the main idea is to find one that focuses on fun, has few rules and does not stress competition. Up until kids reach age 9, fun remains important as well as the need to avoid having to learn complex rules. By age 10, children are ready to learn rules, strategy and teamwork and are ready for some competition.

Getting Physical Activities into Your School Children’s Days

            Days are full and busy for most families. If your children are not getting sufficient time for physical activities at school, you should make time for them at home. Here are some suggestions:

• Before school – walking the dog, walking or biking to school, emptying wastebaskets, taking out the garbage
• After school – walking or biking home, participating in an activity like karate, gymnastics, dancing or swimming, playing a team sport or simply playing outside with friends
• Weekends – family hikes, doing chores, dancing together, swimming, playing a sport together

Ways to Encourage Children to Be Active

            Nothing is likely to encourage children more to be physically active than having parents who savor physical activity. And the second thing is finding activities that are fun for them to do. Introduce them to a variety of activities, so they can find ones that are appealing to them.

Parents should send questions and comments to DearTeacher@DearTeacher.com and visit the DearTeacher.com website to learn more about helping their children succeed in school. ©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2023

As always, please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns.