Physical Fitness

Children are learning to build and strengthen their motor skills, like jumping, catching, and kicking. Physical activities can help children master these skills because they can try doing them if they can’t, and practice or refine them. Other activities children do promote strength needed for other motor skills. Refined skills are building blocks for more complex skills (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006).

Physical fitness is also important for the following reason:

• Reduces the risk for chronic diseases.
• Keeps weight under control.
• Boosts energy level.
• Establishes healthy habits.
• Growing bones and muscles.

If children do not engage in healthy fitness activities it can increase their risks for chronic diseases like obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Obese children are more likely to be obese adults. Childhood obesity results from an imbalance between the amount of calories a child consumes and the amount of calories a child uses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Obese children tend to have risk factors for cardiovascular diseases including high cholesterol and blood pressure. These children may be discriminated against, excluded by friends from activities or groups lowering their self- esteem. Their low self esteem could hurt them academically, and socially. Without physical fitness activities children spend most of their time in sedentary activities not expending the energy they need to in order to keep their weight under control.

Adults can help children develop good fitness habits in many different ways. First of they have to be sure to remember that they are role models for children and if they expect children to get involved they must be involved themselves as well. Tag is a good game for children to play that involves gross motor skills. This is a non- competitive game where children are running and tagging each other and taking turns. Children can also get involved in a game of throw and catch. Children can take turns throwing and catching the ball to each other, which uses their fine motor skills. Adults should also encourage children to be active rather than them using electronic media (Robertson, 2010). Families can go for walks, jogs, and bicycle rides together places rather than driving. Playgrounds are good for both gross and fine motor skills. Adults can make obstacle courses with children to promote physical fitness. They can find things to use that they can jump over, crawl through, run around etc.

Some thought provoking quotes that captured my attitude and philosophy about fostering children’s healthy growth and development are “While children are still young, let us help them develop motor skill competence and a love of being physically active” (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006) and “All it takes to encourage an active start is a little time and imagination and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle” (National Association for Sport and Physical Education, 2006). To me it is important to start young and get children in healthy habits early on. Children that are healthy and physically active are more likely to be healthy in adulthood and stick with the habits as adults. Children should enjoy being physically active not drilled to do so. It should be fun for them and adults should also be involved. We need to come up with fun and interesting ways for children to get involved in activities and provide them with encouragement to keep it up.

Physical activity has many positive impacts on children’s health. It helps in balancing their calories (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Children need to used energy they take in or it gets stored as fat. Physical activity also strengthens bones and reduces risks for hyper tension, obesity, cardiovascular disease both now and in their future (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Physical activity can help reduce stress and anxiety, but can also increase one’s self esteem and help them control their weight (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).






References

National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2006, May). Active start: Physical activity guidelines for children birth to five years. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200605/NASPEGuidelinesBTJ.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008, November). Childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, Nutrition, and Health in Early Education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.