{"id":1465,"date":"2023-09-23T17:51:20","date_gmt":"2023-09-23T17:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/?p=1465"},"modified":"2024-01-04T16:48:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T16:48:24","slug":"physical-activity-why-your-child-needs-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/physical-activity-why-your-child-needs-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Physical Activity: Why Your Child Needs It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adults all know that toddlers and young children have an abundance of energy. Many parents must find ways for their children to burn off excess energy, like taking them to the park or enrolling them in a sport.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as children get a little older, they may turn to technology, games, or reading for entertainment instead of physical activity. However, just because children have other interests doesn\u2019t mean their need for physical activity goes down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical activity is vital at every stage of childhood development. Here are just a few reasons why.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical Activity and Health<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s common knowledge that physical activity is directly related to health. However, children need more physical activity than adults. Children are always growing and constantly learning about their body\u2019s capabilities and limitations. Additionally, they must have physical activity to integrate motor and neurological reflexes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthyschools\/physicalactivity\/facts.htm\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the Centers for Disease Control<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, physical activity can reduce the risk of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anxiety.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depression.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart disease.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cancer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High blood pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Osteoporosis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Obesity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical exercise also improves bone density and muscular strength.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Much Exercise is Enough?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/benefits-of-physical-activity-for-children\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How much physical activity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your child needs depends on their age. Babies need about 30 minutes of tummy time per day. Children aged one to five years need about three hours of vigorous activity, and children older than five years need about 60 minutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical Activity and Coordination<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children are always learning new physical skills, integrating motor and neurological reflexes, and challenging their bodies. Physical activity is necessary to improve coordination, balance, reflexes, and motor skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical Activity and Cognition<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children who engage in regular physical activity have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6036844\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">superior cognitive abilities and academic performance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> compared with peers who aren\u2019t physically active. This is because physical activity brings more blood and oxygen to the brain and aids in memory, problem-solving, and attention.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical Activity and Emotions<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical activity provides endorphins and reduces stress. When children have a regular, constructive outlet to release extra energy, they are more even-tempered, have fewer tantrums, and have a calmer disposition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children prone to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or poor body image, can also benefit from physical activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical Activity and Relationships<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Playing team games builds relationships and camaraderie. It helps children learn how to lose\u2013and win\u2013graciously. Playing with a parent or guardian is a very bonding experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How Can I Help My Child Have More Physical Activity?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopefully, you are ready to include physical activity as a part of your daily routine. Here are some tips to get started:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aim for your child\u2019s age-appropriate amount of physical activity, but start small. Try just a few minutes a day of physical activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Choose something your child enjoys. Enroll them in a sport or take them to their favorite park.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Participate with them! Adults need regular exercise, too. Children are more likely to play for longer if you play with them\u2013plus, you get the added bonus of connection and bonding with your child<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outside play is best, but if the weather doesn\u2019t allow for outside play, utilize technology. YouTube has many channels with fitness programs designed for kids and performed by kids.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make it fun by creating an obstacle course, playing \u201cThe Floor is Lava,\u201d or re-enacting their favorite movie or video game<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical Activity at Penguin Crossing Academy<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Penguin Crossing Academy, we place a high value on physical activity. Our children have access to an outdoor playground, and children get many opportunities to play outside. When inside, children have the freedom to roam, run, and play in ways that improve coordination, balance, and reflexes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be hard to include your child\u2019s physical activity during a busy day. Thankfully, you can rest assured that your child receives age-appropriate and fun physical activities at Penguin Crossing Academy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1168 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/FB_PenguinCrossing-300x151.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/FB_PenguinCrossing-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/FB_PenguinCrossing-1024x516.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/FB_PenguinCrossing-768x387.jpg 768w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/FB_PenguinCrossing.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Penguin Crossing Academy is proud to offer an <a href=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/curriculum\/\">outstanding curriculum<\/a> that is educational, fun, and prepares your child for kindergarten per state educational standards.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking to give your child a head start in school, <a href=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/contact-us\/\">contact Penguin Crossing Academy<\/a>\u00a0today!<\/p>\n<h2>What&#8217;s Next<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/the-science-behind-reading-to-young-children\/\">The Science Behind Reading to Young Children<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Adults all know that toddlers and young children have an abundance of energy. Many parents must find ways for their children to burn off excess energy, like taking them to the park or enrolling them in a sport.\u00a0 But as children get a little older, they may turn to technology, games, or reading for entertainment [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7,164,165],"tags":[13,10,166,139,138],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Physical Activity: Why Your Child Needs It - Penguin Crossing Academy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/physical-activity-why-your-child-needs-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Physical Activity: Why Your Child Needs It - Penguin Crossing Academy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Adults all know that toddlers and young children have an abundance of energy. Many parents must find ways for their children to burn off excess energy, like taking them to the park or enrolling them in a sport.\u00a0 But as children get a little older, they may turn to technology, games, or reading for entertainment [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/physical-activity-why-your-child-needs-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Penguin Crossing Academy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100087439133343\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-09-23T17:51:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-04T16:48:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/FB_PenguinCrossing-300x151.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linden Mills\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Linden Mills\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Physical Activity: Why Your Child Needs It - Penguin Crossing Academy","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/physical-activity-why-your-child-needs-it\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Physical Activity: Why Your Child Needs It - Penguin Crossing Academy","og_description":"Adults all know that toddlers and young children have an abundance of energy. 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