At What Age Can We Start Our Toddler In Physical Activities?
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People of every age benefit from physical activities. While you won’t be doing Pilates with your infant anytime soon, by the time your little one is a toddler, there are physical activities that you can start with him, or at least encourage him to do.
A significant factor in what kind of physical activities you will be able to start your toddler on is their own strength and motor skill development. By the time your toddler reaches 18 months of age, for example, she should be able to roll objects along the floor, walk both forward and backward, and probably go down the stairs backwards, using her hands and her knees. By the age of 2 years old, she can probably run, open doors with handles, and push a box, chair, or stool into a spot to climb on to get things she can’t reach. A year later, by the age of three, she will likely be able to jump, throw a ball, and climb up and down the stairs using both feet. Any of these things are physical activities that you can start your toddler on.
Doctors recommend around half an hour of planned, organized physical activity for toddlers every day. In addition, they recommend an hour of unstructured physical activity as well. If your toddler is going to engage in a stationary activity, such as watching television, these activities should not last more than one hour without stopping to start a physical activity.
In terms of organized sports, experts disagree about how young is too young to start. Many experts believe that the structure and pressure of organized sports is too much for a child until the age of six or so. Others see no problem with starting physical activities that include organized sports a year or two earlier than this.
Finally, your toddler will learn by example. If he sees that mom or dad regularly engage in physical activities, he will want to do them too. By starting your own physical fitness routine, you will help your toddler recognize the importance of physical activities.
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