Exercise, diet and sleep are the 3 elements that make up a child's natural parenting 24 hours a day. Exercise in preschoolers (3-6 years) is closely related to their bones, cardiorespiratory health, motor and cognitive development, and psychosocial well-being. Parents are paying more and more attention to children's sports, so there are many questions: what sports are suitable for children? How much time should I exercise each day? Is it better to exercise indoors or outdoors? What should I do if I encounter haze, high temperature, or cold weather? ......Let's take a look at this knowledge now.
What are the best exercises for my child?
Preschool children aged 3-6 years are in a critical period of development of basic motor skills, which are the most basic elements of physical activity, including basic movements such as walking, running, jumping, throwing and kicking, and are the basis for many sports, athletics and body combinations. We should develop their basic motor skills in a comprehensive way by enriching and variing the sports experience possible. The purpose of preschool is not to cultivate a single motor specialty, but to enable children to experience their own abilities from sports through good motor skills, and enhance their confidence and interest in participation.
What are the children's sports goals at this stage? The primary goal of exercise for preschoolers is to develop basic motor skills, but at the same time, the heart and lungs should be exercised at moderate or higher intensity to strengthen the skeletal muscles in all parts of the body. At the same time, the preschool period is a period of rapid development of agility, coordination and balance skills, so it is important to focus on promoting the development of these abilities to lay the foundation for learning more and more complex motor skills in the future.
What environments are suitable for children to exercise? Preschool children should be provided with a rich and diverse sports environment, so that they can fully experience the changes in indoor and outdoor activity environments, as well as the differences in different sports interfaces such as ground, water, ice and snow. Exercise, especially in water or in snow and ice, can have additional benefits in terms of mastering a wider range of survival skills, developing body control and adapting to environmental stimuli.
Should I start professional sports training at an early age? Children's motor goals should follow the development of children's basic motor skills in the preschool stage, step by step, and avoid asking preschool children to complete sports beyond their ability too early. Asking children to complete more sports than they are capable of too early can lead to frustration rather than developing their basic motor skills. At the same time, it should be avoided to carry out specialized training too early in the preschool years, which can cause physical, mental and social stress to growing children, causing them to "burn out" prematurely and increase the risk of sports injuries.
Children every dayHow much time do you need to exercise? It is recommended that our preschool children accumulate at least 180 minutes of exercise time per day (24h), and no less than 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. However, it should be noted that the above "180 minutes" and "60 minutes" are cumulative throughout the day and do not require them to be completed all at once. At the same time, the above physical activity time is the recommended minimum standard, which is the minimum requirement to promote better development and meet the child's physical reserve. In addition, due to individual differences, it is also necessary to pay attention to the gradual development of children who are already inactive or weak.
How long do you want to spend outdoors?
If there is a cold wave, high temperature or haze such as bad weather,What to look out for?
Preschoolers are more active outdoors than indoors, helping to increase their physical activity. Moreover, 2 hours of outdoor activities a day have been considered by researchers at home and abroad to be the simplest and most effective way to prevent myopia in children. Not only that, outdoor activities can also promote bone development by regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Therefore, we recommend that children should have at least 2 hours of outdoor activity time every day.
In case of extreme weather such as high temperature and high cold, as well as severe haze weather, which may have a negative impact on children's health, it is recommended to reduce the time spent outdoors during severe weather such as haze, high temperature or high cold. But at the same time, it is recommended to complete the daily exercise goal of 180 minutes indoors.
Preschoolers should minimize sedentary behavior on a daily basis
Sedentary behaviour is a risk factor independent of physical activity, which means that even if the recommended amount of physical activity is met, sedentary behaviour for a longer period of time each day can be detrimental to health. The use of screen devices such as mobile phones, tablets and TVs is an important cause of our children's sedentary behavior. We recommend limiting any sedentary behaviour to no more than 60 minutes per session and no more than 30 minutes to 2 hours per day.
Through the above reasonable management of children's sports, our children will be able to grow up healthier and happier in the future.