3.9: Physical activity for young children

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Discuss physical activity recommendations for young children.

Licensing Regulations Title 22 Regulations that relate to this chapter include: 101227 FOOD SERVICE Food selection, storage preparation and service shall be safe and healthful and of the quality and quantity necessary to meet the needs of children. 101230 ACTIVITIES AND NAPPING Each center shall provide for a variety of daily activities including quiet and active play, rest and relaxation, eating, and toileting. 101238.2 OUTDOOR ACTIVITY SPACE There shall be at least 75 square feet per child of outdoor activity space.

Introduction

Being physically active is an important part of living a healthy life, and developing healthy habits starts in early childhood. Being physically active helps a child continue to grow and learn, and as a teacher you should know how to provide opportunities for children to have fun while they engage in active play⁵⁸⁸

Healthy Active Living

Research tells us that the way young children eat, move, and sleep can impact their weight now and in the future. Early childhood is an ideal time to start healthy habits before unhealthy patterns are set.⁵⁸⁹

Many children in the United States do not follow the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to the CDC, on average, children consume too much fat, saturated fat, and sodium and not enough fruits, vegetables, or calcium. Children obtain 33%-35% of their calories from fat and 12%-13% from saturated fat (above the recommended levels of 30% and 10%, respectively). Only 16% of children ages 6-11 years meet the recommendation for total fat intake; only 9% of children meet the recommendation for saturated fat intake.⁵⁹⁰

Young children depend on parents, caregivers, and others to provide environments that foster and shape healthy habits. Early care and education programs have a responsibility to promote growth and development, make healthy foods available, and provide safe spaces for active play. Staff can help children and families by encouraging and modeling healthy eating and physical activity at the center and by providing suggestions for small, healthy steps at home.⁵⁹¹

5-2-1-0 Message

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians counsel parents and patients at every well-child check on diet and lifestyle goals as a part of obesity prevention initiatives (Hassink, 2010). These recommendations, initially put forth by the Maine Youth Overweight Collaborative obesity prevention program “Let's Go! 5-2-1-0”, have been promoted locally and nationally for broad consumption (Rogers and Motyka, 2009).⁵⁹²

Figure 13.1 – The 5-2-1-0 recommendations⁵⁹³

Engaging Families in 5-2-1-0 Recommendations Share the recommendations with families with these tips. 5 Fruits and Vegetables a Day Go for the rainbow. Each month, pick a color from the rainbow and try to eat a new fruit or veggie of that color (green, purple, orange, yellow, red). It's a great way for little ones to learn colors while you're all eating healthy. Whenever possible, let your child help get fruits and veggies ready to serve. Maybe he can wash an apple or mix the salad. Your little chef may be more likely to try foods that he helps to prepare. Ever feel like fresh fruits and veggies are just too expensive? Try using frozen ones for a few meals every week. 2 Hours or Less of Screen Time a Day A great way to cut down on screen time is to make a "no television (or computer) while eating" rule. If your children are watching TV, watch with them. Use commercial breaks for an activity break—hula hoop, dance, or come up with a crazy new way to do jumping jacks. If you need a break and want to let your child watch TV, set a timer for 30 minutes. You can get a lot done and you'll know how long they watched. Television in your child's bedroom might seem like a convenience but watching TV close to bedtime can affect your child's ability to sleep. 1 Hour of Active Play or Physical Activity a Day An hour of active play might seem like a lot but you don't have to do it all at one time. Try being active for 10–15 minutes several times each day. What were your favorite active games when you were a child? They might seem old school to you but they'll be new to your child. Try one today. Rain or bad weather has you stuck in the house? Don't let it keep you and your child from being active together. Try one of these fun activities: Have an indoor parade. Set up a scavenger hunt inside. Start your own indoor Olympics—who can jump on one foot the longest or do the most sit ups? 0 Sugary Drinks a Day Serve milk with meals and offer water at snack time. Let your child pick their favorite "big kid" cup to use for water. Think plain water is too boring? Try adding a fruit slice (like orange) for natural flavor. Avoid buying juice—if it's not in the house, no one can drink it. If you're still trying to cut sugary drinks down to zero, keep up the great work! Young children should never have soda pop or sports drinks but if you choose to give juice, please remember: make sure the label says 100 percent fruit juice. limit the amount to one small cup a day (4-6 ounces if you measure it out).^594

Physical Activity

Good activity habits begin early in children’s lives. As early as infancy, adults can help children grow lifelong healthy play habits. Children learn from adults, they should model being active and participate with children when possible.

Infants should spend a lot of time on the floor (and out of equipment that limits mobility). This time allows them to reach, and kick so they can reach important milestones like crawling and sitting up.

Even very active toddlers need environments that support movement and activity and intentional opportunities to be physically active. Things like dancing, jumping, and taking walks are great ways to keep them moving.⁵⁹⁵

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for developing movement skills, learning healthy habits, and establishing a firm foundation for lifelong health and well-being. Regular physical activity in children and adolescents promotes health and fitness. Compared to those who are inactive, physically active youth have higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and stronger muscles. They also typically have lower body fat and stronger bones. Physical activity also has brain health benefits for school-aged children, including improved cognition and reduced symptoms of depression. Evidence indicates that both acute bouts and regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity improve the cognitive functions of memory, executive function, processing speed, attention, and academic performance for these children.

Youth who are regularly active also have a better chance of a healthy adulthood. Children and adolescents do not usually develop chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or osteoporosis. However, current evidence shows that obesity and other risk factors for these diseases, such as elevated insulin, blood lipids, and blood pressure, are increasingly appearing in children and adolescents. Exercise training in youth with overweight or obesity can improve body composition by reducing overall levels of body fat as well as abdominal fat. Regular physical activity also makes it less likely that these risk factors will develop and more likely that children remain healthy when they become adults.

Figure 13.2 – Regular physical activity protects children’s health. ⁵⁹⁶

Preschool-aged children (ages 3 through 5 years) should be encouraged to move and engage in active play as well as in structured activities, such as throwing games and bicycle or tricycle riding. To strengthen bones, young children should do activities that involve hopping, skipping, jumping, and tumbling. Although the specific amount of activity needed to improve bone health and avoid excess fat in young children is not well defined, a reasonable target may be 3 hours per day of activity of all intensities: light, moderate, or vigorous intensity. This is the average amount of activity observed among children of this age and is consistent with guidelines from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Commonwealth of Australia.

School-aged youth (ages 6 through 17 years) can achieve substantial health benefits by doing moderate and vigorous-intensity physical activity for periods of time that add up to 60 minutes or more each day. This activity should include aerobic activity as well as age-appropriate muscle- and bone-strengthening activities. It appears that, as in adults, the total amount of physical activity is more important for achieving health benefits than is any one component (frequency, intensity, or duration) or specific mix of activities (aerobic, muscle strengthening, bone strengthening).

Children and adolescents should meet the key guidelines by doing activities that are appropriate for their age. Their natural patterns of movement differ from those of adults. For example, children are naturally active in an intermittent way, particularly when they do unstructured active play. During recess and in their free play and games, children use basic aerobic and bone-strengthening activities, such as running, hopping, skipping, and jumping, to develop movement patterns and skills. They alternate brief periods of moderate- and vigorous intensity activity with periods of light-intensity physical activity or rest. Any episode of moderate- or vigorous intensity physical activity, however brief, counts toward the key guidelines for children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years. For preschool-aged children, activity of any intensity counts, including light intensity.⁵⁹⁷

Pause to Reflect What were some of your favorite physical activities as a child? Why did you enjoy these? Are they included in Table 13.1?

Table 13.1 – Examples of Physical Activities for Children⁵⁹⁸

Type of Physical Activity	Preschool-Aged Children	School-Aged Children
Moderate-Intensity Aerobic	Games such as tag or follow the leader Playing on a playground Tricycle or bicycle riding Walking, running, skipping, jumping, dancing Swimming Playing games that require catching, throwing, and kicking Gymnastics or tumbling	Brisk walking Bicycle riding Active recreation, such as hiking, riding a scooter without a motor, swimming Playing games that require catching and throwing, such as baseball and softball
Vigorous-Intensity Aerobic	Games such as tag or follow the leader Playing on a playground Tricycle or bicycle riding Walking, running, skipping, jumping, dancing Swimming Playing games that require catching, throwing, and kicking Gymnastics or tumbling	Running Bicycle riding Active games involving running and chasing, such as tag or flag football Jumping rope Cross-country skiing Sports such as soccer, basketball, swimming, tennis Martial arts Vigorous dancing
Muscle Strengthening	Games such as tug of war Climbing on playground equipment Gymnastics	Games such as tug of war Resistance exercises using body weight or resistance bands Rope or tree climbing Climbing on playground equipment Some forms of yoga
Bone Strengthening	Hopping, skipping, jumping Jumping rope Running Gymnastics	Hopping, skipping, jumping Jumping rope Running Sports that involve jumping or rapid change in direction

Figure 13.3 – There are many ways to support children’s physical activity. ⁵⁹⁹

One practical strategy to promote activity in children is to replace sedentary behavior with activity whenever possible. For example, where appropriate and safe, families should walk or bicycle to school or the bus stop instead of riding in a car. Rather than only watching sporting events on television, children should participate in age-appropriate sports or games.

• Children who do not meet the key guidelines should slowly increase their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in small steps and in ways that they enjoy. A gradual increase in the number of days and the time spent being active will help reduce the risk of injury.
• Children who meet the key guidelines should continue doing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day and, if appropriate, become even more active. Evidence suggests that even more than 60 minutes of activity daily may provide additional health benefits for school-aged youth.
• Children who exceed the key guidelines should maintain their activity level and vary the kinds of activities they do to reduce the risk of overtraining or injury.

Children with disabilities are more likely to be inactive than those without disabilities. Families of children with disabilities should work with a health care professional or physical activity specialist to understand the types and amounts of physical activity appropriate for them. When possible, children with disabilities should meet the key guidelines. When they are not able to participate in the appropriate types or amounts of physical activities needed to meet the key guidelines, they should be as active as possible and avoid being inactive.

Engaging Families in Their Children’s Physical Activity Share the recommendations with families with these tips. Children under 6 need to be active naturally! Aim to keep them moving 3 hours a day — and more is better Limit time when they’re just sitting around (like screen time) Kids and teens ages 6 to 17 need at least 60 minutes every day. Most of it can be moderate-intensity aerobic activity. Anything that gets their heart beating faster counts. At least three days a week, encourage your kids to step it up to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Use the “talk test” to find out if activity is moderate or vigorous. When you’re being active, try talking: If you’re breathing hard but can still have a conversation easily, it’s moderate-intensity activity. If you can only say a few words before you have to take a breath, it’s vigorous-intensity activity As part of their daily 60 minutes, kids and teens also need: Muscle-strengthening activity At least 3 days a week; anything that makes their muscles work harder counts — like climbing or swinging on the monkey bars. Bone-strengthening activity At least 3 days a week; bones need pressure to get stronger. Running, jumping, and other weight-bearing activities all count. Some ideas: Encourage active play with friends Get them involved in active chores Sign them up for free or low-cost sports or classes Take walks Dance while dinner’s cooking Show them your favorite ways to move. Most of all, help them find activities they really like to do! Help them get active now, and they’ll build healthy habits for life. Share the Move Your Way tool to get kids more active at https://health.gov/MoveYourWay/Get-Kids-Active/^600

Summary

Early care and education programs can create environments that protect children’s health and physical wellness by keeping them active. It is important for teachers to understand how to encourage children to engage in physical play, and to provide opportunities and environments for children to enjoy being active.

Resources for Further Exploration We Can!: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/ Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, Childhood Obesity State Report Cards (2007): https://www.childhealthdata.org/brow...s/obesity-2007 CDC’s Overweight and Obesity Data, Trends and Maps: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/databases.html Growing Healthy - A Guide for Health Managers and Families about Healthy Active Living for Young Children: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/...-flipchart.pdf National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education – Healthy Weight: https://nrckids.org/HealthyWeight Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies from the Institute of Medicine: http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd...mendations.pdf Preventing Childhood Obesity in Early Care and Education Programs: https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Childhood_Obesity Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research: http://healthyeatingresearch.org/ Healthy Living from healthchildren.org: https://www.healthychildren.org/engl...s/default.aspx Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: https://health.gov/sites/default/fil...nd_edition.pdf Move Your Way: https://health.gov/MoveYourWay/Get-Kids-Active/ CDC’s Healthy Weight: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/calories/index.html CDC’s Health Schools Physical Activity Facts: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/p...vity/facts.htm Head Start’s Strategies to Support and Encourage Healthy Active Living Course: eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/physic...-living-course Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures: https://healthykidshealthyfuture.org/