Active kids
Disclaimer: This fact sheet is for education purposes only.
Please consult with your doctor or other health professional to
make sure this information is right for your child.
Why is physical activity important?
Being active is important for your child's health. Active children are more likely to:
- Feel good about themselves
- Be happy, relaxed and sleep better
- Have improved physical skills such as coordination, balance, muscle control and strength
- Have strong bones
- Maintain healthy growth and development
- Have improved heart-lung health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease
- Become active adults
- Perform better at school
- Develop good social skills, for example obeying rules, getting along with others and making friends
Get the active habit
Children can form good active habits early in life so that they become healthy adults. Childhood and adolescent obesity is increasing in Australia. The longer a child stays overweight the more likely they are to become an overweight adult.
Part of the obesity problem is caused by children not being active. Today, many children spend large amounts of time watching TV, using a computer or playing video games. Parents also have concerns about child safety and so children are often driven to and from school or other activities. If this lack of activity is combined with poor eating habits, children are even more likely to have a weight problem.
As children develop into adolescents they are also less likely to be active. They may drop out of sport for less active leisure activities.
What is physical activity?
Physical activity is any movement involving the large muscles of the body. Examples are swimming, walking, cycling and playing sport.
Many children are active throughout the day through play, walking for transport and recreation - this includes walking to school, playing with the dog, kicking a ball and running around the playground at lunch. Other organised activities such as sports, dance, physical education and swimming lessons increase the health benefits of being active. Children can also be active doing everyday things such as walking to the bus stop, fidgeting and helping around the house.
Developing skills
Physical activity and play are important everyday activities for young children. They do need to learn basic skills to enjoy participating. Basic skills that parents can help children to learn include:
- Throwing
- Kicking
- Hitting a ball
- Balancing
- Catching
- Jumping
- Riding a bike
- Skipping
A message for parents
Keeping it fun is important! If children enjoy being active in the early years they are more likely to remain active later on. Parents can help their children to enjoy and maintain an active lifestyle by:
- Being a good role model - be active yourself
- Being active with your children - walking, cycling, playing frisbee
- Finding activities that your children like
- Encouraging your kids to join a sporting club or swimming group
- Planning family events that are active such as a bushwalk, kite flying or a family soccer match
- Walking the kids to and from school, if possible
- Turning off the TV or limiting activities such as the computer and video games to 30 minutes a day, if possible
Active kids at different ages
0-2 years
- Let your toddler be active - play with them, praise and encourage activity
2-5 years
- Let your pre-schooler be active and play with them
- Teach your child beginning skills such as throwing, kicking and jumping
- Limit TV
- Encourage walking rather than using the pram
5-8 years
- Encourage the fun in being active
- Use walking as a way to get around
- Encourage participation in organised modified junior sports or Aussie sports
- Limit the time spent watching TV, using a computer or video games
- Encourage your children to help with household task such as gardening
8-10 years
- Encourage participation in organised modified junior sports or Aussie sports
- Encourage variety in sports - consider more than one sport as well as team and individual sports
- Give lots of praise and encouragement
- Encourage safe cycling and walking as transport
10-15 years
- Enjoyment of sports and physical activity is the key to your young person being active
- Try a variety of other activities with your young person - dancing, bike riding, roller blading or walking the dog
- Encourage your young person to continue any activities they are good at
- Involve your young person in decisions about their sports and family activities
For more information
- Parents will be a positive role model for their children by being active themselves.
- Being active is important for your child's health.
- Parents can help their children to learn basic movement skills.
- Physical activity should be fun!
© The Children's Hospital at Westmead & Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick - 1997-2008.
This document was published on Friday,
28 September 2001.
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