Importance of Physical Activity and Sports to Children

Being physically active is ­­very important, especially to young children, as it plays a critical role for them to develop a healthier and stronger body.

Physical exercises such as running, jogging, biking and playing with other kids help them become physically fit and healthy.

Younger kids are naturally energetic, so it is important to ensure that they are regularly engaging in various physical activities, for them to be able to release their pent-up playfulness.

Why Is Physical Fitness Important?

At this generation, the number of children who still actively engage in sports and physical fitness activities are decreasing at a staggering rate. Most kids nowadays are totally obsessed with entertainment media such as video games, TVs and smartphones, which easily consumes most of their precious time, leaving no time for more productive activities such as exercise and sports.

With childhood obesity increasing at an alarming rate, it is of great importance to make a serious effort in encouraging your children to stay physically active. Sending them to a qualified sports academy during summer breaks is just one of the effective ways to keep them active.

Allowing children to participate in physical activities such as sports, exercise and gymnastics games can help prevent them from being obese, and can help them maintain healthier and physically fitter bodies.

Aside from preventing obesity, being physically fit also brings a lot of valuable benefits to your child. Let us help you identify the different factors that make physical activity beneficial for children.

Benefits of Being Physically Active

1. Stronger Bones and Muscles

Engaging in physically-intensive activities such as playing on monkey bars, or doing gymnastics for kids, can help young children develop healthier and stronger bones and muscles. Such activities, especially those that require the child to bear their own bodyweight, put a great challenge on their bones and muscles, allowing it to adapt and grow stronger.

Which Exercises are good for Bone and Muscle Development?

It strongly depends on your child’s age and body composition. Toddlers and infants can benefit from less intense exercises, while bigger kids can perform more intensive and weight bearing exercises.

Some examples of these are:

• Jumping Jacks

• Monkey Bars

• Indoor Wall Climbing

• Push Ups

• Mild Strength Training

• Gymnastics for Kids

(Read: Top 10 Health Benefits of Gymnastics)

2. Helps Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Performing physically-intense exercises helps burn off calories and develops toner and leaner muscles. Making this a part of the daily routine can help them avoid obesity, and assist them in maintaining a more aesthetic and vigorous body.

3. Prevents Certain Diseases

Being physically active allows children to prevent certain fitness-related illnesses, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis and such. There is definitely a truth in the saying “an exercise a day keeps diseases away!”

Here are some of diseases you can prevent with proper exercise:

Heart Disease

Regular exercise lowers blood pressure, keeps your bodyweight on a healthy level, and reduces cholesterol – all of which plays a big factor in the prevention of heart disease. What’s more amazing is that you only need to engage in a moderately-intense exercise to achieve these results. Research shows that taking a long walk after consuming a high-fat meal can actually reverse its adverse effects to blood vessels, so try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on your daily routine.

Weakening of Bones

Participating in weight bearing exercises such as weightlifting and gymnastics is proven to be extremely beneficial in maintaining healthier and stronger bones.

According to most studies, incorporating at least 15-45 minutes of weight-bearing exercises a day can improve the peak bone mineral density of the child, which minimizes the risk of bone-related problems such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

Diabetes

Obesity is one of the major causes of type 2 diabetes. According to a study, a weight loss of 5% minimized the incidence of the disease by 58%. Physical fitness can also play a big role in maintaining normal blood-glucose levels.

4. Better Sleep Quality

Most studies show that exercise plays a major role in improving the sleep quality of children at night. According to research, allowing your children to be physically active during the day helps them burn excess energy, preventing them from staying up until late at night.

(Read: Importance of Rest and Recovery on Young Athletes)

5. Improved Self Confidence

Physical activity positively affects a child’s self-confidence in various ways. Having a physically fit and healthy body and mind can help children develop the confidence and self-esteem they need to be successful later in their lives.

Better Body Image

Today’s society is clearly obsessed with their body and appearance, and for most people, how they look plays a big role on their self-esteem. Regular exercise, especially when done right, can significantly boost one’s self-confidence as fitness and appearance improves.

Sense of Accomplishment

Exercise and physical fitness can help children feel sense of accomplishment, which has a direct bearing on self-esteem and self-worth. As physical fitness improves, the child can perform new activities they were not able to do before – such as a more difficult gymnastics move. Being able to do so makes them feel a sense of achievement, which positively affects their self-confidence.

“Feel-good Hormones”

Physical exercise triggers the release of happy hormones, also known as “endorphins”, which makes children feel better about their own selves. It is also known that these hormones helps decrease tension, anxiety, depression, anger and improve psychological functioning.

6. Improved Social Skills

Participating in a physical activity such as team sports and gymnastics helps children develop the social skills they need to be successful later in their lives. Joining a good sports academy provides children with the skills to better cope with all the physical and emotional challenges in life. Also, it allows them to interact with kids of the same age, work within a group, and communicate with adults.

Positive social traits such as leadership, sportsmanship, listening skills, patience and respect can also be developed through sports participation. As a bonus, kids who take part in sports and physical activities can experience fun, meet new buddies, and learn how to be independent.

Read more about health and fitness by following our official blogs and social media sites. Enroll today at the best sports academy to learn gymnastics in Singapore -- Bianka Panova Sport and Art Academy -- and experience the highest quality of gymnastics training and education! :)