The most important part of good parenting is ensuring the health of the child. That is something that’s achieved by proper nutrition, regular visits to the pediatrician, and so on. However, recent studies have shown that there’s another way to improve your child’s health – engaging them in vigorous physical activities, even when they’re still toddlers.
According to a research conducted by the University of Alberta, a child that’s between 12 and 36 months old needs at least 7 minutes of dynamic physical activity each day! By adding this aspect to traditional parenting methods, you will be able to prevent obesity problems and ensure the cardiovascular health of your child.
Seven minutes of intense physical activity per day doesn’t seem much, but the truth is that most children don’t get them! The research has shown that most toddlers spend over two-thirds of the time in sedentary activities. Only 0.6 percent of their time is spent on dynamic physical activities, such as running, for example.
The main reason why this is the case is that the parents feel that their toddler is too young to engage in such activities. Twelve months definitely is a tender age, but without proper physical activities during the toddler years, the child can have huge health issues in the future.
What Does “Intense” Physical Activity Mean?
The word “intense” has probably caught your attention. It is true that brisk walking and crawling are great for toddlers, but these activities are not intense. What’s intense for your child might not be intense for another – it all depends on their age, size, and gender. To help you out get the right picture, here is a list of 5 amazing physical activities for toddlers!
Balloon Catch
You can play the game of catch with your toddler by using a balloon. This way, even if you’re playing it at home, you’re not risking breaking anything. Furthermore, using a balloon instead of a large ball also ensures that your kid won’t get injured.
Ball Rolling
You can let your kid play with a large ball, but rather than throwing it, it’s better if the toddler rolls it towards you. This will result in the same level of physical activity as ball throwing, without any safety risks. On top of that, there’s another reason why this is a much better option – ball rolling will make your kid bend down or kneel, which will have an influence on the development of their core muscles.
Rolling Down the Hill
Another great energy-spending way that also engages a number of different muscles is rolling down a hill. Of course, the hill in question mustn’t bee too steep to jeopardize the safety of your kid. In fact, it is best if the slope is very gentle. That way, in order to roll down, your kid would have to use their muscles to provide the necessary momentum.
Sand Running
There are several reasons why sand running might be the best type of exercise for your toddler. The first one is that running on such surface is pretty difficult. That means is that the kid is bound to get the workout it needs. Secondly, running on sand is great for preventing injuries. If your kid falls down, the chances are that no serious injury would happen.
Swimming
You might think that toddlers are too young to start with swimming lessons, but the American Association of Pediatrics thinks otherwise. According to them, a child can start learning to swim from the age of 1! This could be a great way not only to provide your child with the 7 minutes of physical activities they need, but also to strengthen the parent-child bond!
