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Whilst exercise has many physical benefits for children, experts also say physical activity helps to improve a child’s mental health, giving them a better outlook on life by building confidence, managing anxiety and depression and increasing self-esteem and cognitive skills.

Whilst the effects of exercise may be temporary, simple activities can deliver several hours of relief, helping to quickly alleviate negative moods. Evidence suggests introducing exercise at a young age helps to decrease rates of anxiety and depression in children and adolescence. Physical activity has been proven to be effective in targeting the risk factors associated with mental illness by increasing heart health and assisting in regulating dietary urges.

Brain Function and Mental Wellbeing

Exercise plays a vital role in developing the brain and supporting essential mental functions in children. Helping to improve hand-eye coordination and other developmental motor skills, better thinking, problem-solving, stronger attention skills and improved learning all helps to better a child’s performance in school.

When we exercise at any age, ‘feel good’ chemicals (endorphins) are released by the brain helping to improve our mood, energy levels and improving our levels of sleep. Whilst physical exercise may be the last thing a child wants to do when they’re having a ‘down day’, any physical activity including playing outside with friends can help to greatly maintain their mental wellbeing.

Reducing Anxiety

Children who experience heightened levels of anxiety tend to create a viscous cycle for themselves by focusing heavily on the things that make them anxious. Physical movement helps an anxious child to break the cycle as exercise demands them to focus on an activity, in turn developing new skills.

Improved Self – Esteem

There are a range of different exercises to choose from, especially for children where classes and after school activities are readily available. Whether it’s dancing, football, trampolining, running, stretching or just playing with friends, when we find an activity we enjoy, we will want to continue to take part.

By seeing and appreciating how their body moves and what it can do rather than the way it looks, it is a great step in building a child’s self-worth and promoting a positive body image. This level of thinking is important to promote at an early age, helping children to appreciate their body for what it can do, rather than focusing on the way it looks.

Social Interaction

If a child or teen is feeling lonely or unable to make friends, shared physical activities can give them a sense of belonging and companionship,

A young person with social anxiety may find group environments difficult but having a sport to focus on may help to relieve that pressure. The act of sharing a common interest and working towards common goals can help to develop a child’s confidence in many different ways, including speaking up in school.

It’s important to show children that exercise is fun and not something we ‘ought to do’. One of the best ways to help our children be more active is to include them in habits we have ourselves as well as encouraging them to take part in after school activities. They may not stick to every activity, but by taking part in a range of different exercises, they are likely to find ones they like.

With obesity rising rapidly in adults across the UK, keeping children a healthy weight and eating a balanced diet can be of significant concern to parents. However, attempting to encourage children to eat a variety of foods and not be more inclined to feed them the meals they enjoy most, which tend to be unhealthy, can be a difficult task. It is important that children maintain a balanced diet full of nutrition that will give them energy for their long days at school and the various out of school activities.

Although it is drilled into our heads as a society of how vital healthy eating is, we can often forget the real reasons why it is so important. There are so many benefits that come from eating well including; reduced cancer risk, prevention of strokes and heart attacks, strong bones and teeth and better mood, alongside the more obvious reasons of maintaining a healthy weight and reduced chance of Diabetes.

As a generation growing up surrounded by technology and social media, this can impact their eating habits and relationship with food and make controlling this a much more difficult task. However, there are lots of ways to encourage children to eat healthily and here are just a few of our suggestions.

Eating Together

Children are easily influenced, and most times look up to their parents or guardians to see what they should do and how they should act. For mealtimes, when you can, try to eat as a family. If they see you eating the foods you want them to eat, they’re more likely to eat it too. Meals can also be a sociable time that they enjoy and look forward to.

Involve Them 

Allow your children to take part in meal planning, perhaps give them a book full of recipes you’re willing to make and have them select a few for the upcoming week. Or take them along to the weekly shop and show them the variety of healthy foods they can choose from. This means they’ll feel included in the process and will be more inclined to eat the meals that they’ve helped in preparation for.

Maintaining Structure

Strict routine is a very important part of childhood especially when it comes to meals and habits. We would encourage that you eat breakfast, lunch and tea at the same time every day, or at least around the same time, so there is a structure in place. This may make children less likely to eat at specific times. Plan the meals for the week ahead so children know what they’ll be eating, and any changes can be made in advance.

Including all elements of the eat well guide

It is vital that children have a balanced diet and are eating food from all the categories. Here is a reminder of the 4 types of foods.

Starchy food consists of bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes amongst many others. These are crucial for children to eat at a young age, as they contain minerals and vitamins that are essential for your child’s growth.

Fruit and Vegetables are the obvious choice for healthy eating, try to get in your child’s 5 a day, but if you are struggling don’t worry about different forms of fruit and veg, you can try fresh, canned, tinned, dried or frozen.

Protein Foods include beans, fish, eggs and lentils, as well as various others. We recommend that your child should eat two portions of fish a week, with one being an oily fish meal e.g. Salmon or Trout. Meat is also a great source of protein but don’t feel limited to this as eggs, beans and lentils are great alternatives.

Milk and Dairy products provide children with a good source of calcium and protein, important for bone development, as well as the nerves and muscles. Alongside milk you can also encourage your child to eat natural yoghurt and cheese. Make sure that they are eating three servings of calcium every day, as children under five require more calcium-based food to help them grow.