SUMMER holidays are here, and many parents may be excited about the chance to spend some unstructured time with their kids.
But six weeks is a long time to keep little people occupied, and even the most vigilant may occasionally let things slide when it comes to screentime.
Dr Nicole Nathan, a researcher from Hunter Medical Research Institute and the mastermind behind the PACE program - Physically Active Children in Education - said that the Australian physical activity guidelines recommend that children aged 5 - 17 years need at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day.
"This is anything that really makes you huff and puff," she said.
"But it doesn't have to be a full 60 minutes at once. This can be accumulated in several shorter sessions throughout the day.
"It's also recommended that on at least three days per week, children and young people should incorporate vigorous activities and activities that strengthen muscle and bone into their routine."
Dr Nathan said the good news is you don't need expensive equipment to do this.
And you can walk, run or ride your bike around the neighbourhood.
"If you are limited to being at home, you could make your own circuit," she told the Newcastle Herald.
"Set a timer for one minute and do one minute of star jumps, running on the spot, jump rope or burpees.
"Do this for 10 minutes. In terms of muscle strengthening activities, use your own body weight for resistance doing things like squats, lunges, push-ups and dips."
So why is screen time so bad?
Dr Nathan said there was a lot of research on the negative impact of screen time for children.
Being sedentary for large amounts of time could lessen the benefits of being physically active, but it went further than that.
"When children are on screens, they are exposed to lots of potentially harmful content that can impact on their mental health and well-being," she said. "The Australian guidelines recommend no more than two hours of recreational screen time for children per day."
What are some fun, free activities you can do with your kids?
"My favourite quote is that 'the best way to get kids outside is to go with them'. "Children, especially young children, simply want to spend time with their parents so anything the parent suggests is likely to be a goer," Dr Nathan said.
"I encourage parents to expose their children to activities they themselves enjoy, as this may then become a family interest that will continue.
"Take a ball to the park, explore rock pools or picnic outside.
"In terms of tweens and teenagers, this can be trickier.
"Follow their lead.
"You may need to join in things they enjoy first, or maybe suggest that you do their activity one day and yours the next.
"Encourage them to invite their friends along to join in, and make sure you set rules on phones i.e. 'This is a screen-free event'."
Being physically active doesn't require you to spend money on equipment or toys, Dr Nathan said.
"If you are looking for gifts that might motivate your kids to play outside.
"Things like skipping ropes, Frisbees, handballs and elastics are all cheap toys that the whole family can use."
HEALTHY HOLIDAYS
Eight scientifically proven reasons to keep kids active this summer
- Academic Performance: Improves attention and memory
- Brain Health: Reduces risk of depression
- Muscular Fitness: Builds strong muscles and endurance
- Heart and Lung Health: Improves blood pressure and aerobic fitness
- Cardiometabolic Health: Helps maintain normal blood sugar levels
- Long-term Health: Reduces risk of several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and obesity
- Bone Strength: Strengthens bones
- Healthy Weight: Helps regulate body weight and reduce body fat
