Fancy “stuff” and policies don’t affect a child’s amount of physical activity – they just need time.
Space, equipment, staff training, weather, clothing, or screen use did not affect the amount of physical activity that preschoolers exhibited in observations of child care centers in Cincinnati, OH.
Rather, children who had at least 60 minutes of scheduled outdoor time each day had more vigorous physical activity than children with less scheduled outdoor time, according to an April 2016 article published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (KA Copeland, et al). Even though many centers actually spent less than the scheduled amount of time outdoors, it was the intended amount of time that mattered.
It is that simple:
- Create the time in your schedule for 60 minutes of outdoor time daily.
- Do your best to adhere to it.
What have you noticed about children who are given at least an hour of outdoor time? How do you ensure adequate outdoor time for kids? Share with us below…
Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara
