Here’s an interesting anecdote: during one, 6-week Fly Movement program, two third-grade classrooms at Brookline Elementary School moved more than 2500 miles. That’s equivalent to the distance of a round-trip between Houston and New York!
As exciting as that sounds, how much movement do children really need to stay healthy? What exercise moves should children be doing, and how much exercise do they actually need?
How Much Physical Activity Do Kids Need?
According to the CDC, “Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of physical activity each day.” This fitness number from the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans may seem a little high to you, but your child may already be regularly reaching it.
Age Appropriate Exercises – What Fitness Moves Should Kids Do?
The CDC breaks down physical fitness into two categories: the first of which includes “age appropriate exercises.” Depending on your child’s age, they probably don’t need to be lifting weights or running three miles to meet the 60-minute per day exercise requirement.
Younger children, especially those in elementary school, can usually strengthen their muscles and gain endurance through play. A few easy ways to get kids moving include:
- Monkey bars on the playground
- Running during a game of tag
- Riding bikes or roller skating
- Playing sports like soccer or baseball
- Climbing ropes or ladders on the playground
- Talking a walk with family instead of watching TV
Getting kids active is a balance between age appropriate activities and duration. If you can get your children into the habit of getting a total of 60-minutes of active play per day, they will be on the right track to a healthier, happier life.
Proof in the Numbers: Fly Movement Gets Kids Moving
How do we know how much our Fly Movement kids were moving? Fitness trackers, of course!
Each kid in the program was able to see how much they were moving with their very own activity tracker. Based on their fitness trackers, we found out some amazing things during the program:
- The fifth-grade boys at Garden Oaks Elementary averaged moving 3.3 miles a day (9,200 fitness moves).
- The fifth-grade girls at Garden Oaks Elementary averaged moving 2.9 miles a day (8,804 fitness moves).
- Boys move about 5% more than girls, with the children in the program averaging 3.12 miles a day (9,010 fitness moves).
- The third graders of Houston Brookline Elementary averaged moving about 2.65 miles per day during the Spring 2015 Fly Movement kid’s health program.
Impressively, during a Fly Movement challenge period (our epic classroom versus classroom competition program), the kids increased their physical activity by 20% on average. Since Fly Movement is about tapping into a child’s natural energy, it’s awesome to see how much more kids will get moving during a competition, as compared to when there is no competition.
Find Out More About Fly Movement Today
Our goal at Fly Movement is to ensure that the kids are getting the right amount of age-appropriate exercise. We teach children that physical activity is a habit that’s not only healthy, but fun! Contact Fly Movement to learn more about how our programs get kids moving today.
