Is your child getting enough playful exercise? Have you thought about mommy and me fitness classes? Granted, many of the mommy and me exercise classes are thought of as baby and toddler gym classes, it’s never too early to start your child down the right road with fitness and active play
The CDC tells us that female children, in particular, are deficient in the amount of physical activity they engage in on a daily basis. Boys are under-active as well, but not by as large a percentage. Still, there’s no getting around the reality that kids in the U.S. now spend an average of between seven and eight hours in front of a screen each day.
The CDC also tells us that kids should be getting about an hour of physical activity each day, which might be hard to fit in with all that screen time. If your child has grown into some lazy habits, you’re definitely not alone. One way to bridge the gap to a healthier way of spending time would be to help engage your child in activities that keep their minds working and encourage interaction with other kids, but that aren’t exercise, per say. Drama classes for kids, toddler art classes and children’s craft activities, music classes for children – even cooking classes for children. Many of these situations will keep your child on their feet. Indoor playgrounds are another, more generalized option for safe, clean, and enjoyable activities.
But if you have a baby or young toddler, the mommy and me fitness classes, swimming classes and music classes that have cropped up at community centers and Y’s around the country are a fantastic way to get the seed planted early. Mommy and me fitness classes and the like are known to promote cognitive and physical development in children, not to mention bonding between mother and child.
We tend to forget that our children aren’t born with a set of instructions on how to be healthy people, and even though most children have a built-in, natural curiosity, they need to stay encouraged to make healthy choices and engage in playful, creative ways of thinking and behaving. The seriousness of our daily lives makes this ever more challenging, but by taking time out to set your child down the road of active participation, creativity and healthy exercise, they stand a much better chance of being able to rise to life’s ongoing challenges.
More research here.
