Physical Activity - the key to a healthy lifestyle
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Kiddikicks Education
It's also a key part of the Schools Curriculum with OFSTED. They regard it as the 3rd most important aspect after Maths and English and is also gaining increasing importance in Early Years settings within the EYFS.
We all know that physical activity along with healthy eating helps reduce obesity levels amongst children, but there are loads of other benefits for the body too that come from regular exercise, even at this young age.
The heart is of course a muscle but a very important one! Like other muscles though, it's performance improves with regular use and challenges through exercise. Strengthening the heart muscle in childhood through sport and exercise can help ward off heart disease by creating a healthy habit which will likely stay with the child long into adulthood.
Workng hard at a form of exercise increases lung capacity, and their efficiency in moving air in and out of the body. Regular exercise helps prevent the decline in oxygen intake that occurs as a result of inactivity essentially giving us more puff. The better we feel the more we want to work hard.
Exercise prevents sugar from accumulating in the blood by triggering muscles to take up more glucose from the bloodstream and use it for energy.
Just as muscles grow stronger when physically stressed, bones also respond by getting stronger. Without strong bones, children cannot enjoy playing, running, jumping, climbing, tumbling and participating in all the fun-filled activities they love.
Exercise encourages production of serotonin: the feel-good brain chemical. This helps children to feel good after exercise, and as a parent there isn't anything more satisfying than seeing a smile on your child's face! There are so many opportunities for carers and children to exercise together as well and both feel good!
At Kiddikicks, we focus on developing skills and encouraging everyone to participate. There's no need to pressure young children about perfect technique and positioning or winning and losing. It's far more important to learn about the fun in participating and helping children to find happiness in being active and seeing physical actvity as enjoyable. There's lots of research to suggest the earlier a child finds a physical activity they enjoy the longer in life they will participate.
Kiddikicks School and Nursery service is able to help schools and nurseries achieve some of these things using our tried and tested #RealSkillsRealFun football programme. This programme is particularly suitable for girls and boys of nursery, reception and year 1 aged children. Call 020 7937 7965 or email Mark at info@kiddikicks.co.uk of this is something you'd like for your child's nursery or school setting.