Fit, Healthy & Happy Education News from Alleyn's | www.alleyns.org.uk Tom Scott Soundy, Sports Coach, and Daniel Bearfoot-Fallon, Functional Movement Specialist, both at Alleyn’s Junior School, tell us how to help our children stay fit and healthy.
W
e all know that exercise and physical activity keeps us physically and mentally healthy. For children it’s especially important because it aids their growth, physical literacy and overall wellbeing. The NHS recommends that children should be active for at least 60 minutes a day, ideally with 30 minutes of that occurring outside school. So how can we achieve that? Here are some simple and effective principles to help keep your child fit and healthy:
FUNDamentals First and foremost, whatever activity you decide to do, make it enjoyable. Prioritise play over competition and process over outcome - and avoid a focus on ‘succeeding’ or ‘failing’. As a result, your child will stay involved for longer, which will help them to improve their physical literacy.
UNSTRUCTURED ACTIVITIES This may seem counter intuitive, but many children have ample structure throughout the day with school, possibly after-school clubs and daily home life. You risk losing ‘buy-in’ to an activity if there is no freedom within it. Play and discovery are great opportunities to change traditional rules or add new elements, providing some boundaries but a greater sense of freedom. Remember, children are not mini adults and they need more rest and recovery as their bodies develop.
STAY BROAD Ironically a big danger can be your child being identified early as being particularly good at a certain activity. This can be very exciting for them and you but don’t fall into the trap of solely pursuing just one sport too early. Expose your child to multiple activities because this will make them more rounded and enable them to develop transferable skills to keep their options open in the future. 20 | SE21 - July 2021
DO IT TOGETHER Typically, families spend time bonding during sedentary activities such as going to the cinema or watching television. Exercising as a family or with your child creates an opportunity to establish what could potentially be a lifelong habit. Not only is this a great way for you to find time to exercise but it also sets an example to your child and gives you some all-important quality time together.
KEEP MOVING Fundamentally, doing something is better than doing nothing! Start small, keep it manageable and have fun. Do this and you’re more likely to stick to it! The important thing to remember is that we are trying to establish habits and skills that last a lifetime. Not only will those habits promote physical activity and the myriad of benefits that come with that, but exercise plays a huge role in a child’s emotional and mental development. Evidence shows that more active children have more confidence, higher self-esteem, less anxiety and stress, and better social skills – all attributes that can help them deal with the challenges they face in daily life - in essence, exercise makes us happier!
