How Much Exercise Do Kids Need?
The escalating obesity rates among children in New Zealand have been an ongoing concern for many years. The latest New Zealand Health Survey (2019/20) found that one in 10 children is considered obese. Unfortunately, that places New Zealand as the second-worst in the OECD, ahead of the United States.
One way to combat this growing epidemic is by encouraging our children to be active and lead by example. But how much exercise should our kids be doing, and what benefits can we expect?
On average, babies under one require plenty of daily floor play to support learning to lift their heads, roll, sit, crawl and stand up. It starts right from when they aren’t even mobile, with at least 30 minutes of tummy time recommended daily to strengthen their neck, head and upper body. There are many simple ways to increase babies’ movement, like placing a toy just out of reach, singing songs encouraging kicking and waving, rolling balls near them, or filling small baskets with grasping toys.
Children between 1 and 5 years old should participate in at least three hours of daily physical activity. Activities for this could include swimming, dancing, jumping, and running games like tag or biking around the neighbourhood.
Children aged 5 to 17 years old need about 1 hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day (in other words, they need to huff, puff and even sweat). They also need several hours of light physical activity like playing a musical instrument, strolling over to a friend’s place or vacuuming the house (see if you could convince your kids that vacuuming is good for them!).
Remember that these are only approximate parameters and will depend on your child’s energy levels and personality. But do keep at it, as exercising is a must for everyone.
So, what are the benefits of making sure your kids get daily exercise?
One of the biggest is that kids who establish healthy lifestyle patterns at a young age will likely continue them for the rest of their lives. And that’s a massive advantage for avoiding any health and social consequences of obesity later in life.
Another great reason is that exercise can massively support children in managing stress and improving self-esteem, focus and concentration.
If your child begins a new sport, they get to learn new skills, which is hugely beneficial for their developing brains. Also, team sports teach critical skills around healthy social interactions like sharing, taking turns and cooperating.
Finally, playing sports is just plain fun and an excellent activity for activating their happy hormones (serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins).
From a physical perspective, regular exercise will:
Strengthen bones, muscles, heart and lungs
Improve coordination and flexibility
Support better posture and balance
Encourage a healthier weight range
Reduces the risk of future heart disease, cancer and Type-2 diabetes
And the most exciting benefit for parents? Active kids make tired kids, which is great because good sleep is one of the key elements of maintaining a healthy weight and BMI. And what parent doesn’t love the idea of their kids going off to bed at a reasonable hour?
Want more? Check out these great cheat sheets from the Ministry of Health for children to Sit less, Move more and Sleep well: Children under five, Children over five