Indoor Playground Fun Helps Kids Get Active

Posted on Nov 30, 2015

exercise for kids Parents and kids alike love Monkey Joe's because it's simply fun! From birthday parties to play time, kids are sure to have a blast bouncing, climbing, sliding, and jumping on our inflatables. But there's another great reason to come to Monkey Joe's... Can you guess it?

Active play for healthy kids

If you said "exercise," you're right! While kids aren't focused on burning calories or increasing stamina, all that jumping and bouncing, climbing and clambering is a great way to get kids moving their bodies and increasing their heart rate. Regular exercise is important for kids' health for many reasons, including:

Building strong muscles and bones
Controlling body fat
Decreasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Lowering blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels
Improving mood and outlook

Too much screen time, not enough exercise

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids between 8 and 18 years old are watching an average of 4.5 hours of television a day, and racking up a total of 7.5 hours of combined "screen media," a.k.a. TV, video games, computer time, etc. Experts say many kids are not getting enough physical activity each day, and one of the best ways to change that is by limiting screen time.

Minimum daily activity levels for kids are:

1.5+ hours for toddlers
2+ hours for preschoolers
1+ hour for school age kids

Note that those are the bare minimums! Fortunately you can help your child get more active and reap the benefits of regular physical activity. Lead by example, taking the whole family on an after-dinner walk each night or choosing to play games in your yard instead of watching TV. When choosing outings, opt for something active like playtime at Monkey Joe's instead of a sedentary activity like going to the movies.

Photo by mc connmama via Pixabay

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