Preschoolers need more physical activity
Pre-school physical activities may have a strong influence on the activeness of students in their daily life.
Pre-school physical activities may have a strong influence on the activeness of students in their daily life.
Researchers from the University of South Carolina in Columbia found that children who were very active physically, tended to attend preschools that allow children to get a significant amount of exercise every day.
It is not clear that for how long this tendency towards activity will last once preschool is over, but, kids who are active in preschool are likely to stay active in their future years. Most of this school time activity occurs during free play moments, when kids are allowed to run around outside.
Preschools need to concentrate on preparing children for school, but administrators should not ignore the importance of giving kids time to let loose, activity-wise. For instance, kids who run around with each other outside, learn how to interact with other kids. The research suggests that movement can facilitate brain development.
Recent guidelines suggest that preschool-aged kids should be physically active for at least 2 hours each day, through both structured activities and free play.
To investigate whether preschool can influence a child's activity levels, researchers attached a device to 281 children that measures how active they are throughout the day. Children attended nine different preschools, and wore the device for an average of 4 and a half hours every day for approximately one week.
It was found that children who were more active tended to attend preschools where other kids were also very active, suggesting that the schools made physical activity a priority. Moreover, the amount of physical activity incorporated into children's lives varied greatly from preschool to preschool. For instance, the average number of minutes of moderate physical activity ranged from 4.4 to 10.2 minutes per hour.
Pediatrics,
November 2004
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