Health in Daily Activity 

Daily exercise is essential for children's health. Children who play outside daily have a lower chance of becoming sick. According to Groark and Song, "children have an increased risk of obesity and other health conditions when they have little to no physical exercise (2012 pg. 5.4)." In the United States, there is an increasing number of overweight children due to low activity. 

Children become overweight when they have an inadequate physical to calorie intake ratio. When children consume more food and are not exercising regularly, they become at risk of obesity. Groark and Song state, "Childhood obesity is the result of overconsumption of calories and not enough physical activity (2012 pg. 5.4)." It is vital to create healthy habits early on. 

Ways you can model physical activity. 

    Families and caregivers are responsible for modeling physical activity in children. When educators and parents engage in daily exercise with children, they become more inclined to daily activity. "When healthy habits are promoted early in childhood, it can have a positive impact on the child's adult life (Groark and Song, 2012 pg. 5.1)." Parents and caregivers can encourage physical activity in many ways. A game can be created by placing images of physical activities on large dice; when the child or parent tosses the dice, the child or parent will demonstrate the activity.     

    One of the other great ways to encourage children to engage in physical activity is for the teacher or parents is to participate in yoga with them. Yoga is not only a relaxing activity for an adult but can also be soothing for a child as well. Children can practice safe yoga poses that can also be a little challenging. Yoga can be a fun and interactive activity with a parent while also supporting the child's health.  

Fig. 1 Kid's Yoga, Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development. Fig. 2 Exercise Dice, Teachers Pay Teachers

How can a child benefit from physical activity?

Children can benefit from daily exercise. Physical activity can support children's academic performance. Wei believes "yoga and exercise can boost children's grades in school (2016)." Children who have ADHD or other high energy disorders can benefit from yoga. "Yoga helps children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by improving their hyperactivity and enabling them to remain focused (Wei, 2016)."  Yoga is fun for kids but can provide an excellent opportunity for the child and parent to bond together.

    Daily physical activity should be age-appropriate and slightly challenging to encourage the children to remain interested in the exercise. Children who participate in physical activity can enhance their self-esteem and boost their confidence. Wei states that beyond physical fitness, children begin to develop confidence and self-esteem (2016)." 

How much daily activity should children have? 

    Children ages three to five years old should have sixty minutes of exercise every day. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that "children participate in activities that increase their heart rate, such as running and walking  (2021)." For families with children younger than three years old, infants and one-year-olds should go outside often as long as the children are comfortable. Groark and Song suggest "newborns to one-year-olds should go outside two to three times per day for as long as they tolerate it (2012 pg. 5.4)." 

    To ensure children are experiencing an adequate level of exercise, monitor their breathing to ensure their heart rate has increased when a child or adult's heart rate rises, their breathing increases. The CDC mentions that "their heart will beat faster and their breathing will be much harder than when they are resting (2021)." Children can reach moderate activity by daily physical activity such as climbing playsets and jumping rope.