Healthy Bodies:

Builds a healthy heart, bones, and muscles. Maintains a healthy weight.

Positive Self Esteem:

Active Living helps children feel good about themselves, and provides opportunity to master a skill. Children with high self esteem have the confidence to resist peer pressure to do drugs, sex etc.

Good Mental Health

Reduces anxiety and depression. Children are better able to deal with stress.

Better Grades

Improves memory and concentration, fosters creativity and problem-solving skills/abilities. Burns excess energy.

Drug Free Lives

Active Living shows children how to have fun without turning to alcohol and other drugs.

Social Skills

Provides opportunities to make friends, learn team building skills and self-discipline.

How much is enough?

Canada’s Physical Activity Guide for Children and Youth recommends that children build up 30 minutes of vigorous activity (running etc) and 60 minutes of moderate activity (brisk walking etc.) each day. This means that children need to be active at home, at school or day care, and at play.

Is my child active enough?

Active Facts

The prevalence of overweight boys increased from 15% in 1981 to 35.4% in 1996, and among girls from 15% to 29.2%. During the same time frame, the prevalence of obesity in children trippled, from 5% to 16.6% for boys and from 5% to 14.6% for girls.

Mothers have a higher impact than fathers on whether their child is active. "The father’s participation in sport increases the participation of his children by 11%, while the mother had a greater effect (an increase of 22%)." statistics Canada 1994

"… by the age of six, both girls and boys believe that boys are better than girls at physical activity … the cardiovascular fitness levels of girls begins to decline at age 10 …" Dahlgren, 1988

Links to Get Kids Active

For more information on healthy eating and physical activity for preschool age children (2-5 years) see the Dietitians of Canada Website.