Children – Physical activities are fun for children
Activities and running around are a natural part of children’s life. Movement supports children’s growth and motor skills development. At the same time, it sets an example for habits in later years. Adults play an important role in igniting and maintaining children’s willingness to be physically active.
For children under 8 years of age, an adequate daily exercise dose 1 is at least 3 hours. This includes light exercise, outdoor activities and fast-paced movement. Light exercise can be, for example, walking or playing in the garden. Sitting down periods of more than one hour are too long for children, and even shorter periods of sitting still should be paused in an active way that the child enjoys.
The daily exercise recommendation for 8–17-year-olds is at least 1 hour of active and strenuous physical activity. At best, exercise strengthens children’s self-esteem if the experiences are good and the feedback is encouraging.
Move together with your child
Family habits are learned early on, and an active lifestyle follows from childhood to adulthood. An active child is likely to be happy to exercise as an adult, too. The tradition of walking or cycling to school can also be passed on to the next generation.
The important people in a child’s life are role models when it comes to exercising.
A strong relationship with nature and physical activities with parents is statistically significantly associated with increased physical activity as an adult.
Physical activity at different stages of development
Exercise creates positive experiences, as long as it meets the child’s conditions, needs and expectations. 2
Active playtime for children aged 1–3.5
Children learn basic movement skills such as walking, running and climbing. Once the basic skills have been mastered, movement can be added to stories and playtime.
Games with rules for children aged 4–6
Different movement combinations and performance levels increase. Dodgeball, tag, outdoor games, cycling and ice-skating train your child’s motor skills while putting strain on their muscles and bones.
Everyday exercise and endurance training for children aged 10–12
Children need varied and independent daily activities. Children also develop their endurance, and parents can go for a longer ski or run together with their child.
Growth spurts and changes in hormonal activity and muscle mass can cause changes in the movements of adolescent bodies, and their own body may feel clumsy. By moving, the body’s movement patterns are reprogrammed – trust and connection to your own body is maintained and strengthened. If possible, you should regularly exercise together with your child.
Doing things together is also important for young people aged 16–18, as the brain is still developing in relation to social experiences and community.
Pay attention to the health and well-being of children
The physical fitness of young people has been declining for years, and the number of people in poor physical condition is increasing. Being overweight is also becoming increasingly common in children, and is more common in school-aged children than in pre-school-aged children. Especially during puberty, low activity can easily lead to gaining weight. Being overweight can increase the pressure on a person’s physical appearance, but most importantly, it leads to health concerns and problems.
Take breaks from sitting in front of the screen
Playing video games and using social media makes school-aged children passive and causes them neck and shoulder pain. An extra hour of screen time per day has been shown to quadruple the risk of pain 3. Encourage children to move from the computer or phone to other activities or to take sufficient breaks.
Wide-ranging health benefits of physical activity
Sufficient exercise affects the health of children and adolescents in many ways:
- increases health and well-being
- is important for the development of neural networks in the brain
- develops the musculoskeletal system
- develops reaction speed and balance
- helps in learning interaction skills and the spirit of fair play
- helps to build and maintain social relationships
- creates the conditions for lifelong physical activity and healthy lifestyles
Did you know that exercise and practising motor skills also support the linguistic and mathematical skills of children in day care? 4
What could a more active family life look like?
Doing chores together? Outdoor Olympics? Nature trips to the nearby forest? Camping trips in the national park? Everyday cycling instead of driving? Reading trips to the library together? Sledging on a cold day? Learning scooter tricks? Conquering the climbing wall? Frisbee golf in the sun? Adults vs. children in football? A neighbourhood floorball tournament or an athletics competition? An evening of baseball? Urban orientation by public transport?
1 UKK Institute: Alle kouluikäisten liikkumisen suositukset (ukkinstituuttu.fi)
2 UKK Institute: Liikunta ja lapsen ja nuoren kehittyminen (ukkinstituutti.fi)
3 Jyväskylän yliopisto: Neck and Shoulder Pain in School Aged Children with Special Reference to Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Physical Fitness Characteristics
4 Jylänki, Pinja, 2023, Active Early Interventions: Supporting Preschoolers’ Cognitive and Academic Skills with Fundamental Motor Skill and Physical Activity Interventions