Young children need active play, experts say

Jet, March 18, 2002

Playing peekaboo, patty-cake and catch with young children not only is fun for them, it's fundamental to their health and development.

Infants need physical play, and plenty of it, to help them reach important milestones in human life from sitting up and crawling to taking those very first steps. And toddlers and preschoolers need physical activity to develop their newly learned motor skills.

But there's an added benefit to all that moving--it could make the difference between a child who grows up fit or fat.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) warns that confining youngsters to strollers, baby seats or play pens for long time periods not only can delay development of their motor skills and thinking skills, but may set children on a path to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

"Children and youth who do not participate in adequate physical activity are much more likely to be sedentary as adults than children and youth who are active," informs Judy Young, Ph.D., executive director of NASPE, a nonprofit group of physical fitness professionals.

Childhood obesity already is a growing problem in the United States, largely due to a lack of physical activity, health experts say. Since 1980, obesity in children has doubled and obesity in teens has tripled, according to government figures.

Currently, one in 10 American children are overweight or obese, putting them at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

To help parents understand the importance of daily activity, NASPE recently released a set of fitness guidelines designed for children under age 5.

Among the guidelines:

[check] Part of an infant's day should be spent in a structured activity with a parent or caregiver. Parents should play games such as peekaboo or patty-cake with the baby and have sessions in which the baby is held, rocked and carried to new environments. Also, infants should not be kept in baby seats or other restrictive settings for long periods.

[check] Toddlers need at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity daily; preschoolers need at least one hour. Activities can include playing ball games like catch or running games like tag. Older children can play balancing games and use climbing toys to increase strength and body control.

[check] Toddlers and preschoolers should not be sedentary for more than an hour (except when sleeping). Ideally they should spend several hours a day engaged in "free" play--exploring, experimenting, imitating. Parents should provide children safe objects on which they can ride, push, pull, climb and balance.