Physical activity is essential for everyone, especially children and adolescents; unfortunately,it tends to decline during this stage of life as screen time increases.
Here's how to encourage teens to be more active every day.
The Importance of Physical Activity for Teens
The WHO recommends at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day. The Manger Bouger website, meanwhile, recommends one hour of physical activity per day, including three sessions of vigorous activity—such as dancing, mountain biking, and ball games—per week.
Regular physical activity has many benefits for children and adolescents. In fact, it helps to:
- Preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, as well as overweight or obesity;
- To improve muscle and respiratory capacity;
- Building strong bones: During adolescence, physical activity plays a key role in building bone mass and maintaining it into adulthood.
- To improve overall well-being: the activity promotes better mental health, better stress management, and better social development.
- To improve concentration and memory.
However, the facts are clear: in France, only 50.7% of boys and 33.3% of girls aged 6 to 17 meet the WHO’s recommendations for daily physical activity (figures from the Esteban study).
In addition, there is a significant decline in physical activity after the age of 10, particularly among girls: 33.7% of boys and 20.2% of girls aged 11–14 meet this recommendation.
At the same time, 45% of 6- to 10-year-olds and 70% of 11- to 14-year-olds spend more than three hours a day in front of a screen . Among 15- to 17-year-olds, this is true for 71% of girls and 87% of boys.
These statistics continue to worsen year after year and are likely to get even worse due to the constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address this issue, Santé publique France, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Ministry of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, launched a campaign in 2022 aimed at encouraging parents to motivate their teenagers to be more active.
Since lifestyle habits in childhood predict behavior in adulthood, it is important to encourage these habits as early as possible to help children grow into active, healthy adults.
Encouraging teens to be more active every day: our tips
For teenagers, physical education classes at school, while essential, are not enough to ensure they stay physically active.
Furthermore, it has been observed that parents tend to rely on subjective criteria when determining whether their children are getting enough physical activity. For many, a child who seems generally healthy or is not overweight is seen as proof that they are active enough. However, this is not necessarily the case.
Here are a few tips to help you encourage teens to be more active every day.
Set a good example
Young people have relatively limited decision-making power. As a result, they are greatly influenced by their parents’ lifestyle. So, if you lead an active lifestyle, your teens will tend to mimic your behavior.
Teach them good habits
There are certain small habits that make it easy to stay active every day. These include:
- Choose walking, biking, or rollerblading for short trips;
- Get off one or two stops before your destination when using public transportation;
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Once again, remember to set a good example for your children by adopting these healthy habits.
Encourage and facilitate access to sports activities
In addition to healthy daily habits and physical education classes at school, participating in extracurricular sports is a great way for teens to get some exercise and meet new people.
Individual sports, team sports… As parents, you have a role to play in encouraging your children and teens to sign up for one of these activities. You can encourage them to sign up and provide logistical support by helping them through the registration process and driving them to practice.
And because we know that sometimes parents can’t be as available as they’d like to take their children to after-school activities, we created Kidcab to make it easier for children to participate in these activities, which are essential for their healthy development. Request the services of our professional drivers, who are trained to transport children, on this page.
In addition, to avoid extra travel, your children can join the UNSS or a sports club at their school so they can participate in an activity on campus after school.
Plan active family outings
In your daily life, you can encourage them to participate in screen-free activities by asking them to help you with gardening, DIY projects, or cooking, for example.
Also consider planning active family outings , such as walks, bike rides, or rollerblading.
Provide a transportation solution tailored to your teens
Logistics are often what prevent children and teenagers from participating in extracurricular activities. In some areas, transportation options suitable for children are very limited and rely entirely on parents.
That’s why we created Kidcab. Every day, we provide parents with chauffeur-driven cars to take care of their children’s transportation needs. Our drivers are trained professionals who safely transport children ages 3 to 18. Click here to learn more about our services!
To encourage teens to be more active, it’s important for them to find an activity they enjoy. And even if your teen wants to switch sports every year, that’s perfectly fine! The important thing is that they stay active.
To get support from Kidcab and arrange safe rides for your children and teens, contact us today by clicking here
