Keeping children healthy and active
As a parent, you want your child to be as healthy and
happy as possible – and there’s plenty you can do to help
them.
By keeping your child active and teaching them
about healthy eating,
it can have a lifelong impact and reduce their
risk of coronary heart
disease.
Keeping active
Take advantage of the weather getting warmer and the
evenings lighter by going for brisk walks
or taking the family out for a day of fun
activities in the open air.
And if you're suffering from typically British weather and have
to stay inside, why not get your kids to check out some of
these great websites - cbhf.net,
yheart.net and
yoobot.co.uk.
There's lots of advice and tips to
help them stay fit and eat the right food, and lots
of fun games that encourage kids to be heart healthy.
Why is it important to do physical
activity?
Physical activity is good for your child’s mind, body
and soul. Allowing them to live a sedentary lifestyle
could have long-term implications for their
health. Being active has loads of benefits:
- Helping your child build a healthy heart and
develop strong muscles and bones.
- Helping reduce the risk of some chronic
diseases in later life.
- Reducing body fat and helping them feel
good about themselves.
- Improving their social and moral development and
reducing anxiety and stress.
- Increasing their opportunities to mix with other children and
make friends.
How much time should my child spend doing physical
activity?
Children and young people should aim to participate in
60 minutes of physical activity every
day. We recommend:
- walking
- dancing
- games
- swimming
- cycling
- active play, and
- most sports.
Kids can build up their muscular strength,
flexibility and bone health through climbing, skipping,
jumping or gymnastics at least twice
a week, too.
You don't need to do the full hour of exercise all at
once - split it over the course of the day if you
need to. They could do four blocks of 15 minutes, or three blocks
of 20 minutes – it doesn't matter how they do it as long as
they get their full hour in.
You can incorporate this physical activity into their
daily life easily – you can walk
with them to and from school, encourage them to participate in PE
lessons, enjoy active play with friends at break times, and arrange
for them to play sport or take part in structured exercise
outside school.
Should I worry about what my
child is eating?
By encouraging your child to eat a healthy, balanced diet, you’re
teaching them good habits for life. Eating too much salt, saturated fat and having
an unhealthy eating habit can lead to coronary heart
disease. Eating healthily improves their physical health,
wellbeing and their concentration at school.
Instead of sweet, sugary and fatty snacks, offer them
alternatives such as fruit and veg, rice crackers,
dried fruit and yoghurts.
Get more information
For more information, download our Get
kids on the go booklet as well as visit our
Activity tips for
parents page.
Got any questions about this page?
