How much time did your child exercise today?
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), children and young people aged 5–17 years old should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. Some parents may wonder upon hearing ’60 minutes of exercise everyday’: where is all that time coming from?
Time spent on daily and weekend activities such as walking briskly, riding a bicycle, rope skipping, jogging and hiking can all count towards the 60-minute daily goal.
The Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong conducted an interesting survey in 2023 – a child's exercise time is linked to their level of life satisfaction: the longer they spend exercising, the happier they are. Compared to children who do not exercise with their parents, those who do are not merely happier, but also have a closer and stronger family bond. According to the survey, about half of the interviewed children stated that they most wanted to exercise with their parents. What children crave is not expensive courses or top-tier coaches, but the companionship of their parents.
Build exercise habits with your children in three steps
Why do parents encourage their children to exercise more? It is not because of scores and examinations, but rather out of concern for the health and wellbeing of their. The best way will be building exercising habits together with your children – making physical activities a part of the family’s daily routine.
- Begin with daily routine
It is important to start with something easy when it comes to building a habit. Instead of planning intensive training right away, it is easier to start with simple activities, such as doing housework, playing in the park, walking to school or getting off the public transport a stop early for a walk. All these can help accumulate a significant amount of time for physical activities. Provide your children with various opportunities to try new things, discover sports they are interested in, then build a habit gradually.
- Make good use of school and community resources
Learn about the physical activities your children are engaging in at school and customise training goals that align with the progress of their PE lessons. Parents can also pay attention to whether the school is using EdTech resources, such as AI tool or application, for recording exercise time and progress. On the other hand, Government Departments like the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, social services organisations and local NGOs may organise community activities from time to time, such as the annual Sports For All Day and Parent-Child Sports Fun Day. Parents and children can take the chance to compete with others in a positive way and enjoy strengthening family bond in a safe and healthy environment.
- Companionship over nagging
Instead of urging your children to exercise, parents can participate in person and exercise with your children, while encouraging them to share their experiences and getting to know how each other feels. For example, the ‘Sports Hour Family’ project from InspiringHK Sports Foundation features a series of short videos, where parents become ambassadors and share stories of exercising with their children, inspiring and motivating other parents to do the same. By promoting such an idea to relatives and friends, community and neighbourhood, exercising can truly become a habit in daily life.
Repeat these small acts and they will eventually become habits. Once rooted, they will become the most precious gift your children carry for a lifetime.
More resources
- EdCity is inviting students to write about sports on our ‘Chinese eWorks’ platform. We would like to know more about your stories and experiences, learn more about it here.
- Fun to Move at JC
- LCSD Edutainment Channel - Let's Keep Fit at Home
- InspiringHK Sports Foundation Channel