We are constantly encouraging children to stay active in school and we have clear time dedicated to fitness and exercise. Our PE curriculum is carefully designed to ensure children are learning new skills and keeping active. We run a range of extra curricular activities promoting exercise and have specialist coaches in school who are trained to teach and motivate our children to exercise.
It is clear that due to our modern lifestyles and an increasing reliance on technology, we are less active nowadays, both as adults and as children.
Regular exercise has lots of health benefits for children and young people, such as:
improving fitness
It is always important to make exercise at home FUN and there are many different activities you can do at home to get your child active. Exercise can take place both indoors and outdoors. Below are some links to websites with brilliant ideas for exercise.
How much exercise should children be doing?
Children and young people 5-18 years
Your child should be active for at least a total of 180 minutes (three hours) a day. This does not have to be all at once so their physical activity can be spread throughout the day.
Physical activity can be unstructured active play or structured exercise of varying intensities. Movement skills gained at this young age set the scene for movement skills such as balance and co-ordination when older.
Examples are:
running or playing in the park
throwing and catching games
climbing or obstacle courses
using a scooter
walking to and from the shops
trampolining
Children this age should not be inactive for long periods of time, except for when they are asleep. So minimise time spent watching TV or on computer games, or time spent in a push chair.
Children and young people 5-18 years
Children and young people in this age bracket should take part in moderate to vigorous physical activities for at least 60 minutes (one hour) every day, and this can be up to several hours.
Moderate intensity activity means working hard enough to raise your heartbeat, so you breathe harder and begin to sweat, but are still able to talk.
Examples are:
bike riding
briskly walking the dog
playing frisbee in the park
martial arts
Vigorous intensity activity means that your heart rate and breathing are harder and faster but talking is more difficult.
Examples are:
running
rollerblading
swimming
playing a sport
Your child should be doing higher intensity and resistance activities three days a week, as these will help to strengthen muscles and bones.
Examples are:
gymnastics
tennis
skipping
climbing playground equipment
body resistance exercises, such as sit-ups and push-ups
Children and young people of all ages should avoid spending long periods sitting down without moving. They should minimise time spent using computers or watching TV, and take regular breaks from studying.
For more information see https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/medical-information/general-health-advice/leading-active-lifestyle/exercise-children-and-young-people