Get Them Moving!
Physical Activity and the Educational Benefits
Many parents are homeschooling their children again this year. It can be a challenge when they don’t have the same structure they’ve had at school. Children need physical activity, even at home. It burns off the extra energy that’s been building up while trying to concentrate! Students who are physically active tend to get better grades, have increased memory and better behavior.
It is recommended that children 6 to 17 years old do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.¹
- Aerobic: Most of the 60 minutes or more per day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity on at least 3 days a week.
- Muscle-strengthening: As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week.
- Bone-strengthening: As part of their 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include bone-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days a week.²
Rainbow Play Systems offers a wide range of accessories that are sure to get your kids running and jumping. Let’s talk about some of them.
Swings: We have sling swings and flat swings for any age, even bucket swings for toddlers and younger. Tire swings are super fun, especially when you have a buddy riding with you! Remember swinging as child? I do! I loved it! Pump your legs and rock forward and back for momentum to swing higher. The super fun part for me was hanging on tight, leaning back with my legs straight out and closing my eyes. There’s lots of leg muscle used with swinging! Check out all the swinging options here.
Rock Wall: The Rockwall is going to teach your child hand, feet and eye coordination and will help them build stamina. Climbing is a full-body activity that is going to strengthen your children’s hands, arms, legs and core. Just think about their excitement when they reach the top! SUCCESS!
Rope Swing with Disc: This one offers lots of physical activity. Hold on to the knotted rope, give yourself a kick start and jump on the disk. Use the knots to hang on and pull up to a standing position. It takes a lot of muscle to keep the swinging momentum going with this one!
Monkey Bars: These are going to help your children with dexterity and strength. With hands, arms and momentum, swing from bar to bar. I remember holding on to a single bar, pulling my legs up and through my arms doing a sort of somersault. Anyone else with me on this one? It took a lot of muscle to accomplish this but it was so much fun! The Ninja Training kit is a fun way to add variety to your monkey bars and these help kids improve coordination! Who doesn’t want to be a Ninja!
I’ve covered just a few of the benefits of choosing a Rainbow Play Systems for your children. There are so many more to choose from, such as the Firemans’ Pole, Corkscrew Climber and several slides to choose from.
But don’t take my word for it. Put your kiddos on your lap, click here and let them help decide what options they think would be the most fun!
1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2018.
2. CDC.gov