Why Are Sports and Physical Activities Essential For Children? Know From An Expert

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While we all know that physical activity is essential for our children, to understand how it affects every aspect of their development and how to incorporate it for them, I reached out to Priyanka Chaturvedi, founder of Wonder Yearz. Wonder Yearz is a sports science-backed fitness initiative for kids and athletes, run by a team of qualified professionals in exercise science and sports physiotherapy.

In an exclusive conversation with Boldsky, Priyanka Chaturvedi, the Founder Wonder Yearz, a fitness initiative for women and kids, shares why physical activities must be a part of the daily routine, and how parents can make it happen for their children.

Q. You had a successful career in the finance sector. What led you to start an initiative focussed on sports & physical fitness for kids?

A. I have been a fitness enthusiast myself for almost two decades now. For adults, there are plenty of gyms and activities to be fit.

For Kids? Largely sports. Good and bad, but sports only favour high performers. Not every child is. These children tend to drop out and develop complex n low confidence later. You can differentiate easily between kids who play sports and who don't. I sensed a gap when I saw kids around, and I realised why not create fitness for kids. Fitness is for all- from a child to a senior. Citizen. You can choose to be fit and athletic, even if you never go for a team sport.

A child can be taught to do individual activities like running, cycling, swimming etc- but these little humans need a lot of social engagement in their foundation years.

Q. What is sports science?

A. A literal definition would define sports science as a 'multi-disciplinary field to understand and enhance the performance of a human being in a sporting or a fitness activity'. Thus, in our context, it is the application of these scientific principles while designing the program for a client -kids or athletes or anyone who comes to us with a specific goal to achieve beneficially, given our premise to create a meaningful alternative to sports, it is extremely helpful a format as my inclination was to do something structured, help them achieve progression in every class, keep it fun yet dynamic and competitive. Scientific principles help us to get the foundation right, as the base of programming is movement competency before we can think of enhancing performance.

Q. At what age should physical activity be introduced into a child's daily routine?

A. Physical activity is good for the mind, body and heart. Thus, even WHO recommendations start from infants (less than a year). The number of active hours in a day and intensity would vary for the different age groups. Under Long Term Athlete Development too, the first out of 7 stages is "Active Start", which talks about physical activity for kids from 0-6 years.

Q. Why is physical activity so important for a child's development? Does it improve their productivity for the other activities?

A. It is proven that in a child's development, the early years really matter- the first 5 years. Physical activity is not just limited to teaching motor skills but also aids in cognitive development.

Physical activity is often linked to better learnability, attentiveness, focus, concentration, memory, and higher confidence. All of this logically leads to better academic performance and any other activity that you may choose as an extracurricular.

Q. How much physical activity does a child need?

A. There are again detailed recommendations around this too by WHO-

• Pre-schoolers should be physically active throughout the day for their growth and development (i.e., age 3-5 years)
• Age 6+: 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. You can also do structured training from this age bracket for muscle & bone strengthening at least thrice a week in this 60-minute

Kids, these days, have busy calendars with schools/tuitions/from one class to another- so as parents, we need to emphasise why that one hour of activity is a must irrespective. This habit must be built in foundation years and will surely benefit in the long run.

Q. As per the book "The Whole Brain Child ", rigorous physical activity has been shown to improve the functioning of the "upstairs brain", or the prefrontal cortex. This brain area is responsible for executive functions such as decision-making, attention, and impulse control. Can parents use physical activity to improve their connection with their children?

A. This is my favourite TED video, brain science explained by a 7-year-old, and how one of the ways parents can build connections with kids is via exercise or play.

Even beyond the foundation years, engaging once or twice a week in partner or family activities involving kids is good.

If I were to give an example- you see so many runners on the road in the last 10 years -is it the love for running or a sense of connection within the runners' community?

Q. How to encourage more physical activity in kids?

A. They will likely do it for a short time if it is not fun. We need to find a mix of activities for kids. Not because I own a fitness venture, I am saying this. But sports plus fitness plus some unstructured play is a good combination for an active life and not just active childhood. These days parents enrol kids in sports so they can be active, and suddenly one day, a child comes to you and says it's boring, and then you put him into another sport . Fitness helps you progress from where you are and is a foundation for doing well in sports. It makes you feel stronger and more confident.

A variety of activities will keep them excited, and when they try out different activities, they will also pick up new skills, stay interested and feel challenged. We also need to build awareness early of w.r.t importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Q. How can we incorporate physical activity indoors?

A. Either we find an engaging virtual live class, or we need parents' engagement. On their own, kids are likely to get bored. I guess parents need to devise innovative ways for this, especially in nuclear families with a single child. If there are siblings, you could probably reward them in some way for finding an hourly activity that is moderate to vigorous and intense. The age bracket will also decide whether they can be asked to do something independently or need assistance/company. Different age groups behave differently- what is monotonous to one is comfortable to another.

Q. How important is a nutritious diet for physical activity?

A. Together it is a good combination.

A balanced lifestyle of eating fresh food with good nutrition & encouraging daily physical activity will eventually help the world tackle the rising fear of obesity and chronic diseases. For an athlete child, nutrition does maximise your performance in the sport, and it also helps in muscle recovery.

Q. Are there opportunities for kids to pursue a career as athletes or sportspersons in even lesser-known sports like parkouring or bouldering in India?

A. My personal opinion: the current generation of kids doesn't necessarily have to think about earning potential when choosing sport as a career. It comes down to how much spending capacity parents have to keep investing in them. What we see as a trend is that parents put money until they are 13 or 14, and suddenly these child prodigies start disappearing irrespective of the sport. Even though cricket is the most popular sport and has top avenues to earn money- a competition to make it to the team is real! The ground reality I see around for other sports to make a career in - is still not that easy. You now have a few sports foundations willing to invest in an athlete- but it is also subject to the sport's popularity.

Q. Any advice for the parents to create time for physical activity for the kids or as a family together?

A. Kids should see parents taking time religiously for their fitness and also see parents enjoying that activity. Else it becomes another to-do list item for kids. If the schedule allows, they could go for run/cycle/swim/sport/fitness together -at least on weekends. But even if you achieve the former part of this message, it will have a positive impact on kids.

Q. Despite schools focusing on physical activity and sports classes available everywhere around you, why are we still staring into a future all worried about obesity and diabetes?

A. Again, there is a gap in what a good PE format should look like vis a vis what happens on the ground. It is important that kids learn fundamental movement skills in their early years, develop body awareness and movement competency, and learn in an environment that's not too regimented and helps them express themselves (I am reminded of my school P.T. classes suddenly now- and maybe that's what kept me away from physical activities until the age of 22 years)