fitness: how active are our kids after school?

there has been a generational shift in what kids do after school. gone are the days when they hopped off the bus, dropped their school bag at the back door and played outside with friends until they were called in for dinner. today most kids go directly from classroom to after-school program and then are picked up in time for dinner.not so coincidentally, there has also been a generational shift in the number of minutes per day kids spend in active play. only 39 per cent of five- to 17-year-olds in canada accumulate the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. given the sedentary nature of a typical school day, the after-school period is a prime opportunity to put more play into children’s lives. yet according to a report by participaction, the national non-profit organization that promotes 2022年世界杯名单猜测 and physical fitness, kids average only 14 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise between 3 and 6 p.m. on weekdays.these statistics aren’t unique to canada. children are spending less time being physically active, with more and more free play being replaced by adult-led programs that don’t always prioritize keeping kids moving. to find out more about what kids do between the time school lets out and when they are picked up to go home, researchers from the university of wollongong in australia supplied children from 89 after-school programs with accelerometers to track their movements over the course of a single session. they also had observers chronicle the kids’ activities by visiting after-school programs on two non-consecutive days between march 2018 and april 2019.the observers coded activity as free play (unstructured with no staff input or direction), organized play (with rules and directed by adults) or enrichment (non-physical activity like reading, crafts or homework). they included notes on staff instruction, child participation, the amount of time spent standing around versus in active play and whether the activity promoted inclusion or elimination.only 26 per cent of the 4,408 children included in the study were active for 30 minutes or more.“we found that children spent an average of 22 minutes in moderate to vigorous physical activity, with boys accumulating significantly more moderate to vigorous physical activity than girls,” said the researchers.australia isn’t the only country to investigate just how much kids are moving once school lets out. an analysis of data from similar studies suggests that kids in comparable after-school programs spend about 54.5 minutes per session in sedentary pursuits.how do after-school programs make room for more active play?the observers in the australian study noted that kids were six times more likely to accumulate 30 minutes of active play when left to their own devices and twice as likely when participating in staff-led organized play.“given the autonomous nature of free play, it is likely that not all children will choose to engage in active play during this time, therefore organized structured activities may be an important activity to incorporate within (after-school) settings to maximize participation; this could engage a wider range of children, especially girls,” said the researchers.maximizing opportunities for kids to be active needs to be top of mind when designing after-school programs. too often, time spent explaining and setting up an activity means kids spend less time moving. the same goes for activities that require taking turns or eliminating kids who are “out.”“our results report the odds of children meeting 30 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity reduced by nearly half when organized games included elimination components to their activities,” said the researchers.given the increase in sedentary lifestyles, not just for kids but also their parents, it takes a planned and consistent effort to increase participation in active play — especially among kids who aren’t confident in their movement skills. adding more free play and adult-led activities designed to engage kids and keep them active has the potential to increase the number of children who exercise for the recommended 60 minutes a day.but more than meeting a set of guidelines designed to improve the health of children who sit too much and move too little, encouraging kids to participate in more active play allows them to explore their physical limitations, push boundaries and gain confidence in their athletic skills. best of all, an active after-school program lets children recharge their batteries after a school day that rewards sitting still.kids aren’t meant to be sedentary, but often lack permission or the opportunity to engage in unstructured, high-energy active play. an after-school program that rewards kids for being active, in any way, shape or form, is one that understands the importance of creating healthy habits. active kids sleep better, eat better and are better able to focus on their homework — exactly what they need to start the next day on the right foot.