Move with your family

Move with your family

 
By the age of five, a child should exercise at medium to high intensity for 60 minutes a day. Yet, according to the Canadian Health Measures Survey External link. Opens in a new window. conducted in 2012-2013, 11 out of 12 Canadian children are not active enough. Among children aged 5 to 17 surveyed, only 13% of boys and 6% of girls did 60 minutes of physical activity per day, as recommended.

In addition to reducing the risk of disease, physical activity provides several benefits:

better mood
better self-esteem
stronger bones and muscles
better sleep
reduced level of anxiety and depression
Did you know that children who are physically active do better in school? They have better grades, higher attendance rates, and more positive classroom behavior!

Limit the time spent in front of screens

It is recommended that you set limits on the amount of time your children spend in front of a screen. This will influence their habits as adults. The more time children spend in front of a screen, whether watching TV or playing video games, the less time they have for physical activity.

Plus, watch your own habits in front of a screen. Your children are watching you! As a parent, you are the person who has the most influence in your child's life. If physical activity isn't a priority for you, it might not be for your child either.

Choose an activity that appeals to him

Several physical activities for your family are at your fingertips, completely free of charge. It could be playing tag, climbing and running in the park, or taking a family walk after dinner. Show her that exercise is a fun time, not a chore.

If your child wants to play a more expensive sport, there are solutions available to cover certain costs. The Canada Child Benefit External link. Opens in a new window. is a tax-free government benefit paid monthly to parents to cover family expenses. Ideally, part of this allowance should be deposited into an account intended for sports, artistic or school activities. The integration of an automatic payment when depositing the allowance will allow you to save periodically, without forgetting and thus to be able to count on the necessary sums when registering for activities.

Let your child experiment with various activities to discover their talents and interests. Encourage him to try several activities so that he can choose the one that works best for him.

Always maintain a positive attitude towards physical activity and make it an important part of family life. By having physical activity at heart, you have a positive effect on the health and happiness of your child, which will be felt throughout his life.