We live in times where excessive use of technology and a comfortable lifestyle have reduced much of the physical activities in kids.

Kids are full of energy. However, if they spend time on mobile phones, tabs, play stations, etc, they will not be able to channel their energy effectively. This can lead to obesity and inactivity which are the root cause of serious health issues later in their life. This is why physical activities are so important.

There are multiple benefits of physical activity for children. It increases muscle and bone strength, improves concentration, and helps in staying fit.

Most people associate exercise with going to the gym. But for youngsters, it simply means engaging in physical activities such as racing in the playground, playing football, going for evening walks, etc.

Physical activities are an essential part of any child’s physical and mental development as they set the ground for a healthy life.

Benefits of Physical Activity for Children

Here let’s look at the benefits of physical activity for kids.

1. Maintains balanced body weight -benefits of physical activity for children

Regular exercise combined with a nutritious diet will help your child from being overweight or obese. If you need to lose weight, exercise will help you do it in a safe way.

Obesity in children has become a major problem these days, and much of it is due to the lack of physical activities in their routine. With the advancement of technology, children now have more non-movement entertainment opportunities, making it difficult to keep them engaged in physical activities.

You can be an inspiration for your children as a parent. Here are several suggestions for keeping your kids away from screens and encouraging them to live an active lifestyle.

Examples of Physical activities for weight management

  • Riding a cycle
  • Taking the staircase instead of the elevator
  • Running games
  • Throwing and catching games
  • Playing Frisbee in the park
  • Jogging
  • Jumping with a skipping rope

Set an example for your kids, if you stay fit and healthy, your kids will follow suit.

2. Improves flexibility and balance – benefits of physical activity for children

Children who start adulthood with stronger limbs have greater balance even as they get older. You should encourage your children to stretch, which improves their flexibility and balance. Undoubtedly, yoga asanas for kids provides them the most flexibility and imprves their internal immunity. Below are some more options for improving flexibility and balance.

Enjoy the above benefits of physical activity for children by indulging your kids in these activities

  • Dance
  • Yoga
  • Balance a book
  • Hopscotch
  • One leg hop
  • Gymnastics

3. Helps in social well-being of children – benefits of physical activity for children

Some children get affected by stress and anxiety due to several reasons. Exercise is an excellent way to help them come out of it. It also helps a child in sleeping well, which is essential for his or her overall health and well-being.

Exercising in a group (particularly in a team sport), allows a child to make new friends and work as part of a team.

As children play with fellow friends and spend time with nature it helps them to build their ability to plan things, control their behavior and improve their social skills. This is highly essential as children with these skills have a better outlook for life and a have a strong mind.

By playing team sports, kids improve their communication skills, become more confident, learn teamwork and also enhance their leadership skills.

Enjoy the above benefits of physical activity for children by indulging your kids in these activities

  • Football
  • Tennis
  • Cricket
  • Relay race
  • Soccer
  • Basket ball
  • Base Ball
  • Volley Ball
  • Pink Pong

4. Improves Concentration – benefits of physical activity for children

As much as they help in staying physically fit, these physical activities also aid in improving focus and concentration. Today the world is loaded with information, so much so that it could be overwhelming at times. It needs specific skills to break through from the distracting information and focus on what you are really looking for. And, such games prove to be highly beneficial in doing so.

It is also seen that involving kids in focus-driven activities improves their memory and processing speed.

Some of these games and activities require the players to have sharp focus and kids gain these qualities as they play more of it. As the kids grow up playing such games, it helps them in getting better grades and overall improvement in every walk of their life.

Enjoy the above benefits of physical activity for children by indulging your kids in these activities

  • Kite flying
  • Archery
  • Swimming
  • Chess
  • Crosswords
  • Suduku

5. Improves body posture – benefits of physical activity for children

Kids who are couch potatoes enjoy sliding on the couch while playing their favorite games on the phone. This can lead to backaches, unaligned neck and spine, spinal problems, incorrect body posture, and deformation too if prolonged. This is why it is so important to perform physical activities as it helps the kids to improve their body posture and keeps their spine and neck happy.

Enjoy the above benefits of physical activity for children by indulging your kids in these activities

  • Yoga
  • Aerobics
  • High Planks
  • Side Planks

6. Strengthens the body – benefits of physical activity for children

All types of physical activities have one thing in common. They all are helpful in the growth of the body and providing it with the needed strength. As the body performs physical activities, it keeps the heart strong, improves blood circulation, cleanses the arteries, strengthens the bones, develops the mind, removes toxins from the body, etc, All these things lead to the holistic growth of the body and the development of the mind.

Enjoy the above benefits of physical activity for children by indulging your kids in these activities

  • Animal Yoga
  • Hopscotch
  • Bowling
  • Climbing Stairs

A few words from CityMom

You must have heard the famous proverb “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”. This certainly makes perfect sense in today’s world.

Children should engage in enjoyable physical activities. If the activity they are participating in is enjoyable, they are more likely to participate again. If the kids, continue to show interest then some of these can become their favorite pastimes and hobbies. You can also check some of the hobbies that teach important life lessons as they are beneficial for the overall well-being of a person.

If your kids are not engaging in enough physical activities then you can ask them to practice any of these as there are numerous benefits of physical activity for children. This would not just boost their immune system but would also help them stay fit physically and mentally.

Alongside, try these healthy drinks for kids which gives them instant energy and nutrition to stay active all day round.

References

cdc.gov | healthdirect.gov.au and many others!