One thing I have been looking forward to all summer is watching the summer games again. As we get ready to cheer on the phenomenal athletes, it’s a great reminder of just how important physical activity is for each one of us. Even though a very small minority of us will ever get to compete in events like the summer games, keeping our kids’ (and our own!) bodies moving with regular physical activity is extremely important for health and wellbeing. Daily physical activity provides numerous health benefits including promoting proper gross motor development, cardiovascular health, improved sleep, healthy bone development, and improved mood and sense of well-being.

Children need to play and move their bodies every day – it’s their job. Children have boundless energy and encouraging activities that move their body will help put that energy to good use. It also can help develop a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity, as evidence suggests that physical activity habits learned early in life may track into adolescence and adulthood. How much physical activity should your child get each day? It depends on their age. Here is a good general framework below.

Long summer days and warm nights make it the perfect time of year to find new ways to build enjoyable physical activity routines for everyone. Time spent outdoors has been found to be a strong predictor of children’s physical activity. So get outside, move your bodies together as a family, and then go reward yourselves by cheering on this summer’s incredible athletes!

Be well and all my best,