How to get your child moving

Kids are spending an increasing amount of time locked onto screens or being driven about, but savvy parents have an array of strategies to deploy in order to get their young ones moving, writes Dr Judith Locke.

Do you drive your child to and from school? If you do, you are certainly not in the minority. In 1970, only 16 per cent of children were driven to school, now it is 63 per cent of students.

You might need to drive them. Their school may be in another suburb and too far to walk or ride to, the public transport might not be convenient, or safety may be an issue because of their age or the area in which you live.

Despite the benefits of driving, we know that there are some costs.

Without walking to school every day, your child misses out on valuable opportunities to exercise. Unfortunately, with one in four children overweight or obese, and 80 per cent of children aged 2—17 not meeting physical activity recommendations, they need every opportunity to be active.

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Children who don’t exercise sufficiently are at great risk of not developing properly.

It is not just their strength and co-ordination that is enhanced, but also their cognitive abilities and executive skills.

There is even some suggestion that children who do not exercise enough are more at risk of showing anti-social behaviour.

Children up to 17 years old need at least an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, with younger children needing three times as much.

School kids on phones: too much screen time is leading to a lack of exercise, leading in turn to obesity.

So how can you ensure that your child of any age is getting enough exercise?

If they can walk, get them walking. Putting them in the stroller is the easier option, but there is a price. Some paediatricians have suggested that there is an age where children should stop using it as a mode of transport. If they don’t occasionally walk, they risk not developing sufficient strength and conditioning.

Worse still, if they are just staring at an iPad as they get pushed around, they won’t develop an interest in their community and the journeys they are on. That is going to make them whine even more from boredom and tiredness when on short strolls.

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Park a little away from school. While it might be more convenient to park right next to the school, parking a few streets away can add 30 minutes of walking into their day.

Kids Bianca and Luca help dad Stephen walk Saba the dog. Picture: Peter Cronin

The bonus will be you are much more likely to be able to find a park further from the school.

Have whole family screen free time. Set a two-hour block every weekend where all screens are turned off and you go outside and play a physical game together.

It could be soccer in the park, bowling, cricket on the beach or hiring canoes and paddling together — it doesn’t matter as long as it is fun and active. As a family, you could even take turns in deciding what you do.

Do things locally. Walk to a coffee shop or down the road for your milk or bread.

Rediscover your favourite games you had as a child. Did you love handball, hopscotch or, my favourite, jump sticks (Google it) in your childhood? Introduce the game to your child and play it together.

Elastics: a staple of any school playground, back in the day.

Buy activity rather than technology. While some technology allows them to be a little physical there are much better options out there.

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A basketball hoop, bicycles, a trampoline, or totem tennis can help them get active.

Make them more motivated by you getting out there and playing with them.

All of these strategies will help counterbalance any negative impact of kids being driven door to door.

But what if your problem about driving them is not the lack of physical exercise.

What if it is actually getting them in the car on time, or putting up with their whining or bad mood in the car on the way to school? Well, keep the engine running — I’ll answer it next week.

Liam, Lucas, Ruby and Ruby get ready for National Walk to School Day at Mernda Park primary school. Picture: Rob Leeson.