Exercising With Babies Is Healthy, Provided You Follow These Guidelines You’d think that between learning to roll over, stand, crawl and walk, babies today would easily get a healthy amount of activity to keep them on track for a vigorous and strong childhood. Yet, thanks to strollers, play pens and car seats, that’s not the case at all. Many of today’s youngest children are spending hours a day in these devices—putting them at the start of a path to a sedentary lifestyle and childhood obesity.
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education advocates that infants should be encouraged to be physically active from the very beginning. With the appropriate movements, infants and young children will learn to move skillfully and gain confidence and competency at an early age. There are only five guidelines for each age group, ranging from simple paddy-cake sessions with infants to 60 minutes of play with preschoolers.
Guidelines for Infants
1) Infants should interact with parents/caregivers in daily physical activities that promote exploring their environment.
2) Infants should be placed in safe settings that facilitate physical activity but don’t restrict movement for prolonged periods of time.
3) Infants’ activity should promote motor skills.
4) Infants should receive guidance and facilitation from the individuals responsible for their well-being.
Guidelines for Toddlers and Preschoolers
1) Toddlers should acquire at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity; preschoolers should get 60 minutes.
2) Toddlers and preschoolers can receive up to several hours per day of unstructured physical activity and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes unless they are sleeping.
3) Toddlers and preschoolers should develop skills that are the building blocks for more complex tasks.
4) Toddlers and preschoolers should have indoor and outdoor areas that meet or exceed recommended safety standards.
5) Toddlers and preschoolers should be under the care of individuals who are aware of the importance of physical activity and facilitate the child’s movement skills.
The study also recommends some inexpensive ways to improve motor skill development, including:
For Infants
• Purchasing brightly-colored, easy-to-grasp toys that have different textures and encourage reaching and grasping
• Waving toys out of reach of babies learning to roll over
• Providing a blanket that is 5 by 7 feet for playing and rolling
For Toddlers
• Bouncing, throwing and chasing balls to develop hand-eye coordination
• Dancing to music and moving to follow-along songs
• Creating simple ways to allow children to help with household chores (such as folding washcloths or carrying unbreakable items to the dining room table)
For Preschoolers
• Promoting balance by walking along a line on the ground or a sidewalk curb in a safe area
• Creating a maze or path for a child to follow in the backyard
• Teaching hop-scotch or other jumping games |
