As a society our awareness of just how important physical movement and activity for our children is, has been receiving growing acknowledgment. However often the routines of our day-to-day lives are lagging when it comes to putting this understanding into practice; our kids are often expected to sit for long periods of time, and we often spend most of our days indoors, frequently glued to screens.
With so many of our societal norms centred around sedentary indoor activities, it becomes ever-more vital to attempt to provide our children with opportunities to move and become physically active wherever possible. We need to understand that activities like unstructured play, sporting activities, or even just everyday outings such as taking the dog for a walk around the block or visiting the local park can be an essential part of the picture when it comes to promoting mental well-being, and preventing mental illness.
The benefits of incorporating movement and physical activity into the lives of our kids are multi-faceted. Firstly, movement and exercise often provide kids with the opportunity to get outside, and this in-and-of-itself has beneficial consequences, promoting mindfulness and engagement with nature, and helping to regulate hormone levels (such as cortisol) with exposure to sunlight. This in turn can improve sleep, which can help children manage their mood, motivation levels, and regulate their emotions in day-to-day life. Opportunities for unstructured play with peers also helps kids to build social skills as they navigate how to plan, engage with others, manage conflicts, and build and maintain relationships through shared experiences. As social confidence grows, so too can self-esteem, helping kids to build resilience. And as with adults, children can experience the “high” of physical movement that comes with the release of endorphins; endogenous opioids that boost our mood, make us feel “good”, and even decrease the experience of pain.
Taken as a whole, these benefits are hugely impactful; improving mindfulness, balancing nervous system arousal levels, helping focus, sleep, developing social skills, self-esteem, confidence, resilience, mood, and the ability to manage emotions. All of these things are crucial to help kids grow into humans who can manage the everyday stressors of life, and pursue meaningful things in their lives throughout school and into their adult lives beyond.
So, if you have the opportunity to encourage or promote physical movement and activity in your family’s life take it – whether it’s walking the dog, going for a bike ride together, bushwalking, a trip to the local park to hit the swings, doing some yoga, getting involved in a local sports club, or a swim at the beach or pool. Do what works for you as a family. Movement shouldn’t feel like a chore – it should be fun, so choose something that fits in with your life and what you and your kids enjoy!
