Transferred from: People's Daily Life Times Release Date: December 28, 2018 Release Department: Network Department

Editor's note: Safe and moderate exercise is very beneficial for children's growth. However, only by choosing appropriate exercise based on age group can one achieve twice the result with half the effort. This year, the China Health Education Center and other departments jointly released the Family Sports Initiative for Children and Adolescents: Scientific sports are the best care for children, and parents should focus on training according to different age characteristics when arranging sports for their children.

Interviewee: Su Hao, associate professor of College of Sports Human Sciences, Beijing Sport University

Before the age of 3: exploration period of major sports

"The first 1000 days of life is the primary stage of the development of children's sports ability, also known as the cognitive stage, which is the easiest to develop sports interests and habits." Su Hao, associate professor of the School of Sports and Human Sciences of Beijing Sport University, said that children at this stage have a low proportion of muscles, and their heart, lungs, spine and bones are not fully developed. They can only explore the world through big sports such as touching, grasping, turning, climbing, sitting and walking. At this point, every movement that a child does during exercise will be memorized through repeated practice, laying a sense of direction and helping to cultivate future exercise sensitivity and coordination.

During this period, the main task is to establish a pattern of exercise, which means that children can have an understanding of exercise. Parents are advised to try the following methods to guide their children to exercise, but they should respect their children's wishes and not deliberately force them. Around the age of 1, when a child is just starting to learn how to walk, parents can train their limb mobility skills more, such as turning over in bed, practicing crawling, and training balance. Around the age of 2, parents can guide their children to do some movements in conjunction with sports, such as squatting, lying down, and raising their hands; You can also play some small games with your child, such as picking up a toy and suddenly letting go to let the child pick it up. This process indirectly exercises the child's squatting, grasping, and balance.

It is recommended not to allow children at this stage to stand or sit for long periods of time, to avoid causing hunchbacks and looped legs. The exercise time should be controlled within 20 minutes. Children can exercise multiple times a day without fatigue, affecting sleep and diet.

3-6 years old: Developing coordination skills

Su Hao stated that at the age of 3-6, children are in a sensitive period of balance and flexibility development, and are no longer satisfied with simply sitting, standing, and walking. They want to try more sports. But it is inevitable to stumble and stumble, so it is important to avoid injuries during exercise.

Generally speaking, for children aged 3-6, parents can use toys to develop their motor control skills through playing games to promote growth and development. It is recommended that parents guide their children to learn specific movements, such as sitting forward, dancing, long jump, climbing, etc. If walking and running are relatively stable, they can practice single legged jumping, skipping rope, kicking shuttlecock, or catching, shooting, or playing football with their hands.

On the basis of the development of major sports, the movements of various parts of the child's body have become increasingly coordinated, able to maintain balance and accuracy, and master most fine movements. At this point, parents can develop their children's drawing skills such as graffiti, and also teach them how to dress and do handicrafts. During the process, it is best for parents to tell their children what the standardized procedures are and how to do them. During this period, parents also need to supervise their children to develop correct standing and sitting postures, as their bones have not yet fully hardened. Proper posture can help prevent and correct bending and hunching.

It should be noted that during this period, children should not spend too much time each time, and should be limited to 30 minutes. They should ensure that they exercise 1-2 times a day.

7-12 years old: Diversified sports

7-12 years old belongs to early adolescence, and children are more active. Jumping and ball sports skills become more refined, showing characteristics such as flexibility, balance, agility, and strength. Simple sports can no longer meet their needs. Therefore, the forms of sports have begun to shift towards diversification and enrichment.

Although children's bones and muscles have grown at this stage, they have not reached the period of sudden growth, and there is still a significant gap compared to adults. Therefore, we should still focus on aerobic sports such as swimming and running, plus some simple antagonistic events, such as Taekwondo, fencing exercises, etc. We can also do some small weight bearing Strength training, such as Sit-up, dumbbell exercises, etc. If possible, you can try some equipment exercises, such as roller skating, or participate in collective sports such as playing table tennis, badminton, etc.

Su Hao emphasized that at this stage, children's sports should ensure a combination of school, family, and individuals. At the age of 10 or so, it is easy to have a peak of obesity, and some children will also have a disorder of sex hormone secretion, so the importance of sports must not be ignored. The specific suggestions are as follows: 1. Children should insist on participating in the physical education class organized by the school, which is the minimum guarantee for sports. In class, they can often do exercises such as rope skipping, Sit-up, and 50 meter turn back running; 2. Parents can discuss with their children to develop specialized sports training programs. They can choose sports that their children enjoy in physical education classes, or choose projects that their children are interested in, with a focus on cultivation; 3. Do some simple activities at home every day. Girls recommend Sit-up and yoga. Boys recommend Push-up. Parents can also participate in them and interact with children.

As the intensity of exercise increases, the child's exercise time should also be correspondingly extended, preferably for 30-60 minutes each time. After the age of 7, in addition to participating in physical education classes organized by the school, at least one exercise per day is guaranteed for the rest of the time.

13-17 years old: Strength training is very important

Entering adolescence, children's bone mass and muscle content skyrocket, approaching the level of adults by the age of 17, and their explosive power, speed, and endurance rapidly increase. If the previous exercises were divided into cognition, experience, and preliminary selection, children aged 13-17 have a basic understanding of their athletic abilities and potential, and can choose one or two sports for specialized exercises.

According to the different physiological characteristics and body structures of men and women, Su Hao suggests that boys can do some strength, speed, antagonistic and explosive sports, such as Taekwondo, fencing, sprinting are good choices, and collective performance sports such as football, basketball, volleyball can also be used; Girls recommend aerobic activities such as yoga, long-distance running, cycling, skiing, etc., which are very suitable for their personality traits. In addition, both boys and girls need certain Strength training at this stage to promote muscle volume and strength growth. When boys carry out Strength training, the load can reach 70%~80% of the maximum strength, and girls can reach 50% of the maximum strength. When carrying out Strength training, boys should adhere to the principle of greater strength and fewer groups to develop maximum strength; Girls should adhere to the principle of having relatively small strength but more groups, in order to develop strength and endurance. Strength training can be carried out every other day, twice a week.

It is recommended that children during this period control their exercise time between 60 to 120 minutes each time, and the exercise intensity can reach the level of adults. In daily life, parents must ensure that children of this age group have rich nutrition and sufficient rest, and balance the relationship between exercise and learning. From a child's perspective, it is important to have a sense of moderation and try to eat three meals a day as well as fewer snacks, especially sweet and fried foods. When energy is insufficient, nuts can be used instead to avoid obesity.

(Editor in Chief: Xu Xiaohua, Yang Di)