How does physical activity help you keep a tab on kid’s growth?

How does physical activity help you keep a tab on kid’s growth?

Physical fitness is not only one of the important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity ˜John F. Kennedy

Well, I was an athlete, a karate kid and physical activity had been of great significance right from my childhood. I carried this thought forward when I became a mom, wherein I ensured age-appropriate physical activity for the right growth and development of my son. When I had questions about if my son was growing the appropriate height and reaching all growth milestones, I decided I needed to do something about it. I needed to understand where the gaps in growth were so I could take the next step. Through PediaSure I came to know about the Grow Right tracker. Now, it is easier to keep a check on his growth. All I have to do is feed in the input and download the report. If I have further questions, I can show the pediatrician the regular reports and understand the concern. Monitoring growth is the #FirstStepToGrowRight that I have taken.

How does this tracker help though?

It became easier to identify the gaps in his growth so I could take the necessary steps to fill in those gaps with proper diet and physical activity. This is how I applied the insights I got from the tracker to ensure my child had more fun activities in his routine.

Role of physical activity in healthy children’s life to ensure they #GrowRight :

1. Motor skills:

I remember my son tying his shoelaces when he was 3.5 years. Incorporating fun physical activities right from toddlerhood helps in the development of motor skills, which can help them master the basic movements of daily life. It also enhances their hand-eye and brain coordination.

2. Strengthens their growing bones and muscles:

We’ve often heard that growing children need energy! Being physically active with forms of exercises like climbing, lifting, monkey bars, skipping, running, helps them build their muscles and bones. A good activity followed by a healthy diet is quite imperative for their bone health and muscle mass. Like I mentioned earlier, I had concerns about his growth. But keeping a tab on his growth through the tracker, I have been able to make changes in his diet as well.

3. Flexibility, stamina, and right posture:

I’ve often seen children slouching and this trend has only increased in the last few months. I ensure that my son is not slouching as it impacts their spine strength. In fact, exercises and physical activity improve spine strength (and promote right posture), enhancing their flexibility and stamina.

4. Maintain a healthy weight:

No physical activity = no significant calorie burning and we are all witnessing the effects of the same, isn’t it 😊? Well, just like adults, physical activity is crucial in weight management for children too, because the graph of childhood obesity is seeing an exponential increase. Not just physical development, sports, and physical activity have a great role in the mental and cognitive development of a child.

5. Cognitive Development:

My son has his structured lawn tennis session for 1:30hours, morning cycling hours, and yoga at home. Research has proved that during such physical activities nerve cells of the brain multiply and form new connections. It is very important as their brain is growing at a rapid pace and such activities, in turn, enhances their concentration levels. It improves their memory and I’m sure, as a parent, we all wish that! Let physical activity be a structured part of your child’s routine.

6. De-stress:

Kids do get stressed and I’ve observed that playing tennis helps my son relieve his anxiety. Daily challenges help him de-stress. And why not, with the circulation of feel-good-hormones, your child would certainly be a happier one.

7. Social Skills:

With the way kids are stuck to their gadgets, it has become imperative that they interact with other children equally. I remember my son was an introvert when he was 2 years old. I took a lot of effort to ensure he develops his social skills. Team sports is one amazing activity. It helps children make new friends, enhance their communication skills, and helps in socializing.

But what are the best physical activities for a child?

Well, it need not be complicated like a structured gym for kids, but simple activities like the following would make a huge difference!

  • Running and jumping
  • Cycling
  • Monkey bars and rope climbing
  • Fun family games (like even catching one another)
  • Daily dancing session
  • Skipping
  • Swimming
  • Organized sports (example: tennis, basketball, football)

These activities can be done in small blocks of time, well spanned over the whole day, if not all at once. The essence is that a child does engage in physical activity and spends less time lazing around. Engage your child in physical activities and map his/her growth using the Grow Right tracker. You’ll see the difference, just like I did!

And for this, the best practice that we follow is being active as a family!

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not reflect the views of any brand. Any omissions or errors at the author’s end do not assume any liability or responsibility on any party mentioned in the blog.

Jhilmil

Quest to live the life surrounded with the charming little bundle's of joy. When they speak, I sing, When they smile, I rejoice , When they hug, I hold them never to lose, Such is my passion for these Gifts of God.This love urged me to navigate separately from my Travel Blog & establish an "All-In-One" Blog for budding mothers. Mum's have multi-tasked this world ,with all her professional commitments , she still makes an extra effort to be a loving, caring and be an intellectual mommy! Cheers, for me too come from the same fraternity, post having a superb academics & close to 8 years of professional experience and blessed with a little one "who has indeed changed my life from Autumn to Spring";)

This Post Has 23 Comments

  1. Dr. Rahat Sayyad

    Thats some amazing piece of advice. Physical activity plays an important role in the growth and development of a child.

  2. Cindy Ann Dsilva

    Yes physical activities are important for our kids as well as for us adults. Good to keep a check on your child’s growth and development.

  3. Varsh

    As a mother who insists on fitness I agree with every point you’ve mentioned in this post. Physical activities are good for complete holistic development of children and this tracker sounds very helpful.

  4. Div80ya

    That’s a amazing advice 👏😍point you share ..help for kid growth

  5. Div80ya

    Physical fitness is not only one of the important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.. you share best advice ..happy to read this

  6. Ruchi Verma

    Kids need to be physically active and I make sure my kids should be involved in outdoor activities, which makes them fit both mentally and physically. Using this tracker for my kids and feel a great way for parents to track.

  7. Kapila

    Physical activity is definitely very important thanks for sharing the growth tracker.. will definitely use it

  8. Simrit Bedi

    Very well written post. I too track my son’s growth using Pediasure’s growth tracker

    1. Smitha N

      Physical activity is really important in kids to stay healthy and yes for we adults too thank you for sharing the informative article.

  9. Shreemayee Chattoppadhyay

    A great post for the moms who want to keep their kids active yet doesn’t know how to do. I’ll share this to my sister. It might be helpful for her. Thanks dear 😊.

  10. Ambica Gulati

    It’s a very informative piece. Since I am single, looking at cbis I have knowledge of what babies need. And how adults can shape their children. And even they need to keep themselves physically active.

  11. sandy n vyjay

    Physical activity is so important for kids, however, in the era of technology, this important aspect gets glossed over more often than not. I guess every parent needs to make a conscious effort that their kids get at least a minimum amount of physical activity.

  12. Mrinal Kiran

    Physical activity is really important for everyone. Kids as well as adults. I will share this with my aunt who has young kids.

  13. Jhilmil D Saha

    I am glad you wrote about this. Nowadays with the boom of online gaming, oine courses and classes kids hardly do any sort of physical activities. We as parents should realize the importance.

  14. Seema Bardeskar

    Physical growth of a child should be monitored to know the progress. PediaSure definitely helps in achieving complete nutrition and the growth tracker is a must for all parents to keep a tab.

  15. Surbhi

    Tracking the growth regularly and periodically definitely saves parents from losing sleep over their kids’ growth. Having their growth-related information handy surely helps in including the right nutrition-based foods in their meals.

  16. Judy

    Being physically active is one of the points to check when one has to track a kid’s right growth. Thanks for this informative post and I am surely going to add some more physical activities for my son.

  17. Physical activities play a major role in a child’s growth and development. But being active as a family is more the level of involvement the kid would have

  18. Kavita Singh

    Physical activities indeed play an important role in our kid’s growth and also understanding the right tool to measure this is equally important. Loved reading this Jhil. We too have been using this tracker for our little one.

  19. Parul Malhotra

    Growth tracker gives you. the understanding of the nutritional requirement of your child and gives you the comfort of designing the diet of your child accordingly. Loved your post.

  20. LifeCoachPreet

    I am so glad that you spoke about this Jhilmil. Physical activities are extremely important when it comes to a child’s growth. The growth tracker has really helped me keep a check on my kids’ growth.

  21. Keresa

    Thank you so much for this. I like the help that parenting communities like this do for us mothers and fathers.

  22. Sayeri

    Raising a happy and healthy kid is really imp and being a mother we should encourage them more for different physical activities. It helps them to be more stronger and boost up their growth. But along with everything we just cant miss out glass of Pediasure everyday

Leave a Reply