Does your child have a daily exercise routine? Do you consider going to school and playing in the park in the evening is exercise for your child?

Time and again it is emphasised that physical activity or exercise is required to keep the body fit. Specialised paediatricians around the world advise parents to engage their kids in a daily exercise routine.

While most parents understand the need for exercise, a large number of them believe that normal activity of going and coming from school, playing a bit in the garden is enough activity for a child. And that’s totally not true.

As per reports, more than two-thirds of parents in India are unaware of the daily time to be spent on exercise. In fact, as days are passing, they are restricting exercise so as to save time and utilize it for their studies.

So, is a 15-min stroll around the park enough for my school going child? Well, No! There should at least be a target of one hour if your child is 13 or more. For younger children, 45 minutes is the recommended time. It might seem to be a lot but that’s the average suggested by experts keeping in view the contemporary urban lifestyle.

Here are some simple and easy exercise for children that can definitely fit into your child's daily routine:

1. Running - Kids love to run, don't they? They can run in the park or in the apartment premises, they can run indoors in a long hallway or around a large table in a spacious room. Parents can make running even more fun by combining it with other games or movements that includes skipping or running with high knees. 

2. Stretching - Simple stretches can be done to keep muscles strong, flexible and healthy. From stretching their arms sideways to upwards to making circles, stretching is a great way to finish off an exercise regime too for children.

3. Jumping - Jumps built lower body strength and are a great way of getting some cardio done. Parents must research on the right techniques of different kinds of jumps such as - jumping jacks, hurdle hops, criss-cross feet & more.

If you think your child is too weak to do much exercises or is obese and that much isn’t helping, it’s best to consult a good paediatrician or dietician to stipulate a proper diet and exercise chart for your child.

Keep Your Child Healthy & Happy!