The Importance of Physical Fitness

 “He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.” (Arabian Proverb)

 

WHY IS PHYSICAL FITNESS SO IMPORTANT?

• Physical fitness may help children live longer. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, “increased physical activity has been associated with an increased life expectancy and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease” (AHA, 2012)
• Children who are physically fit and who learn the importance of physical fitness are more likely to grow into physically fit adults
• Physical activity helps with “reducing the risk of diabetes and some kinds of cancer” (AHA, 2012)
• Physical fitness helps children to manage their weight, which may prevent obesity
• Physically fit children have higher self-esteem, more confidence, and lower rates of depression

WHAT DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS CHILDREN ARE LEARNING AT THIS AGE• Gross motor skills: learning to use the large muscles in their legs, arms, and trunk to run, jump, throw, catch, and kick (Holecko, 2012)
• Object Control skills (throwing and catching)
• Fine motor skills
• Locomotor Skills (hopping, jumping, skipping)

HOW PHYSICAL FITNESS CAN HELP WITH DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS• Physical activity is strongly associated with improvements in motor skills (Burgi et al., 2011).
• Physical activity “can help children build endurance, flexibility, and strength” (Robertson, 2011)
• Physical activity can help children with balance
• Children who are more physically fit and active are more “proficient in…movement skills” (Hands and Parker, 2003).

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CHILDREN DO NOT ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?• Sedentary children are much more likely to suffer from obesity and asthma.
• Sedentary children are more likely to have problems with motor skills.
• Physically inactive children are more likely to suffer from depression,  have lower self-esteem, and have less self-confidence (Ipatenco,2012)

HOW CAN ADULTS HELP CHILDREN DEVELOP GOOD FITNESS HABITS?• Adults should model good behavior for children
• Adults make physical activity fun for children
• According to the AHA, “Physical activity should be increased by reducing sedentary time (AHA, 2012)

EXAMPLES OF DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN1. “Playing pretend: Kids boost motor skills when they use their bodies to become waddling ducks, stiff-legged robots, galloping horses, soaring planes—whatever their imagination conceives!” (Ipatenco, 2012).
2. “Building and navigating obstacle courses-–indoors with furniture, pillows, boxes, blankets; outdoors with rocks, logs, or playground equipment” (Ipatenco, 2012)

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES1. “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."—Frederick Douglass

2. “The child begins life as a pleasure-seeking animal; his infantile personality is organized around his own appetites and his own body. In the course of his rearing the goal of exclusive pleasure seeking must be modified drastically, the fundamental urges must be subject to the dictates of conscience and society, urges must be capable of postponement and in some instances of renunciation completely. “—Selma H. Fraiberg

3. “Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas."—Maria Montessori

Works Cited

Burghi, F., U. Meyer, U. Granacher, C. Schindler, P. Marques-Vidal, S. Kriemler, and J. J. Puder. "Relationship of Physical Activity with Motor Skills, Aerobic Fitness and Body Fat in Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Study (Ballabeina)." International Journal of Obesity 35.7 (2011): 937-44. Print.
Hands, Beth P., and Helen Parker. "Physical Wellness: The Relationship between Motor Skill, Fitness and Physical Activity in Young Children." Research Online. University of Notre Dame Australia, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=health_conference>.
Holecko, Catherine. "Physical Activities to Build Your Preschooler's Gross Motor Skills." Family Fitness. About.com, 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <http://familyfitness.about.com/od/preschoolers/a/grossmotorskill.htm>.
Ipatenco, Sara. "The Effects of Exercise on Depression in Children." Diseases and Health Conditions. LIVESTRONG.COM, 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/138376-the-effects-exercise-depression-children/>.
"Physical Activity and Children." Getting Healthy. American Hearth Association, 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Physical-Activity-and-Children_UCM_304053_Article.jsp>.