Fit for Life

Research shows the children who are physically active from an early age will continue to be active throughout their lifetime, ultimately improving their health. Regular physical activity throughout life is likely to result in a healthy mind and body with physical and academic benefits.

What is physical activity?

Physical activity is any form of movement using large muscle groups, which uses energy.

A sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle with little or no physical activity. Sedentary activities include watching television and movies, playing video games and surfing the internet (electronic media).

How much activity do children need?

Children aged 5 - 12 years need to participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. However, more is better - even up to several hours - and this can be a combination of moderate to vigorous activities.

This can be achieved in one continous activity, or by accumulating small bouts of activity, e.g. 10-15 minutes at different times throughout the day. For younger children small bouts of activity accumulated over the day may be more appropriate as they can be quite sporadic and spontaneous in their activity and play.

Parents often worry that their children are too active and will become exhausted. It is far more likely that even energetic children aren't getting enough activity than doing too much.

Public schools in Western Australia must dedicate 2 hours per week to physical activity for students in Years 1-10. This is a great start, but to achieve an adequate amount of physical activity much more is needed and should be encouraged by parents, teachers and carers.

Why do they need so much activity?

Physical activity has many social and physical benefits for children. Children who are physically active are more likely to grow into physically active adults. This will reduce their risk of chronic diseases such as; heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, obesity and high cholesterol.

In addition, children experience lots of short term benefits too.

What about children under 5?

Currently, there are no specific guidelines for physical activity for children under 5 years of age. The following recommendations have been made:

• Promotion of physical activity should consider their natural activity patterns, which are typically spontaneous and intermittent.
• Focus should be on fundamental motor skills that children find fun.
• Physical activity will be enhanced by adult facilitation, including role modelling.
• Whenever possible, access to play spaces and equipment outdoors should be provided.

What about sedentary activities?

Rest and sleep are very important for children, however the use of electronic media and equipment does not constitute rest and can interfere with opportunities to be active.

Studies have found that children who use more electronic media for entertainment and are less physically active are more likely to be overweight or obese. Restricting the time children spend watching television, sitting at the computer and playing video games is recommended. It is a good idea to have rules about the time children (and adults) are allowed to spend on electronic media for entertainment. Organise a family meeting to establish an agreement with all family members. Write down the rules and display them in the house, such as on the fridge, TV or computer.

The new generation active computer games do use more energy than playing sedentary computer games, but not as much energy as playing the sport itself. The energy that children would use playing active computer games (e.g. Wii Sports, Wii Fit) would not be at a high enough intensity to contribute to children's daily activity. It is important to be aware that some children can work out how to play active games in a less active way!

The Australian Heart Foundation's program, Unplug and Play provides information resources to help you reduce the amount of time your child spends on screen based activities.

Fundamental Movement Skills

Fundamental movement skills are the building blocks for successful participation in a lifetime of physical activities. Most skills used in sports and other movement activities are advanced versions of fundamental movement skills. When practiced at a young age, these skills can improve the participation and enjoyment of sport, positive attitude towards physical activity and general self-confidence. Development of Fundamental Movement Skills is not dependant on age. Acheiving the skills requires instruction from parents and teachers, encouragment and lots of practice.