{"id":537050,"date":"2025-10-30T06:52:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T06:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/537050\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T06:52:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T06:52:18","slug":"starved-of-motion-why-our-kids-need-a-movement-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/537050\/","title":{"rendered":"Starved of motion? Why our kids need a \u2018movement diet\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/819dc669-d027-4667-aebb-af4ca412b58b.jpg\" alt=\"Nicky Pellegrino\" class=\"rounded-full object-cover h-[3.4375rem] w-[3.4375rem] min-w-[3.4375rem]\" data-test-ui=\"author--details__image\"\/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/the-listener\/author\/nicky-pellegrino\/\" class=\"text-sys-text-dark underline underline-offset-3\" rel=\"author noopener\" data-test-ui=\"author--link\" target=\"_blank\">Nicky Pellegrino<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Health writer\u00b7New Zealand Listener\u00b7<\/p>\n<p>29 Oct, 2025 05:01 PM4 mins to read<\/p>\n<p>Subscribe to listenAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.Subscribe now<\/p>\n<p>\u200c<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\" class=\"flex cursor-pointer items-center gap-1.5 text-black\" data-test-ui=\"social-link--bookmark-above\" aria-label=\"bookmark\" id=\"social-link--bookmark-above\">Save<\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"m-0\">Share this article<\/p>\n<p class=\"mx-4 mt-2.5 text-xs font-normal leading-5 text-sys-text-premium\">Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.<\/p>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Copy Link<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Email<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Facebook<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Twitter\/X<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">LinkedIn<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Reddit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-test-ui=\"figure__caption\">If we want our children to fulfil their potential we need to find places where they can jump, run and play. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"\">\n         There is an epidemic of inactivity among young children and experts say it is having a negative impact on their longer-term development. Only 14% of kids aged 3-4 are moving enough, or spending adequate time away from screens, according to a global study led by the University of Wollongong and<br \/>\n         published last year.\n        <\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">Elsewhere, there are reports of children reaching school and finding it difficult to manage simple tasks such as sitting still, holding a pencil or putting on their shoes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">Christchurch child development expert Gill Connell says it is crucial for children to have a well-balanced physical diet as it promotes brain development and establishes early movement patterns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cIf, right from the beginning, they\u2019re always in pushchairs, car seats and bouncers then they\u2019re not doing what nature intended and developing the reflexes that are the beginnings of movement,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">Connell is the founder of Moving Smart, which for more than 25 years has been working to help teachers understand the role that movement plays in early learning. Unfortunately, over that period, technology has been working against her bid to improve child activity levels. \u201cSociety has also become a lot more risk averse, so we don\u2019t let kids do the things they used to,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">From supervised tummy time on the floor as a baby to movement games like hopscotch later on, active play is an important part of strengthening muscles and developing fine motor skills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cThere\u2019s a whole sequential developmental process that happens. But children are spending more time on screens. They\u2019re driven places instead of walking on the cracks in the footpath as kids used to. By the time they get to school they\u2019re posturally not fit, they can\u2019t maintain an upright position and have difficulty with physical self-organisation. All of these things are established by whole body experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">Hanging upside down, for instance, stimulates the vestibular system, responsible for things like balance and spatial orientation. Spinning, rolling down hills and doing somersaults aren\u2019t only for fun, they are developing parts of the brain that help with focus and attention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cMovement is the untold story that connects everything together and we\u2019re trying to get that message out there,\u201d says Connell. \u201cIf your child is lying upside down off the couch to watch TV, it\u2019s because they haven\u2019t had enough rolling and spinning in their day. And we may not want them jumping on the couch or bed, but if we want our children to fulfil their genetic potential we need to find places where they can jump.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">Moving Smart offers online resources and courses for parents and teachers, sharing how movement and active play can enhance learning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cChildren need to learn about their bodies in relation to the world, they need to understand co-ordinated movement and be able to adapt and do things in different ways \u2013 backwards, sideways, down, fast, slow. People will tell me their kid plays soccer and runs around all the time, but they need a range of movement in their physical diet. If you\u2019re running around, you\u2019re not experiencing the world on different planes, looking between your legs, being upside down or getting the swinging, rocking movements that help calm the sensory system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">The World Health Organisation has a set of guidelines for activity, starting with infants, for whom they advise at least 30 minutes tummy time spread throughout the day. And they should not be restrained in things like prams and high chairs for longer than an hour at a time. <\/p>\n<p class=\"MbfQjTgmSESMkkDykl\" style=\"display:none\">Between ages 1-5, at least 180 minutes daily of various types of exercise is advised, an hour of which should be moderate to vigorous. And in children aged 5-17, at least an hour daily of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity is recommended. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#\" class=\"flex cursor-pointer items-center gap-1.5 text-black\" data-test-ui=\"social-link--bookmark-below\" aria-label=\"bookmark\" id=\"social-link--bookmark-below\">Save<\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"m-0\">Share this article<\/p>\n<p class=\"mx-4 mt-2.5 text-xs font-normal leading-5 text-sys-text-premium\">Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.<\/p>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Copy Link<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Email<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Facebook<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Twitter\/X<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">LinkedIn<\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 list-none\">Reddit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nicky Pellegrino Health writer\u00b7New Zealand Listener\u00b7 29 Oct, 2025 05:01 PM4 mins to read Subscribe to listenAccess to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537051,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[58575,125917,155168,78284,253,389,12495,372,61940,112595,27858,21003,2848,87206,105,9673,173504,3171,25045,173505,147743,22662,76853,76855,6584,4434,3577,13694,12453,173506,164474,20134,173503,5882,17289,43982,3114,16,15,5178,10513,85278,3118,18013],"class_list":{"0":"post-537050","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-according","9":"tag-adequate","10":"tag-aged","11":"tag-among","12":"tag-away","13":"tag-children","14":"tag-development","15":"tag-diet","16":"tag-enough","17":"tag-epidemic","18":"tag-experts","19":"tag-from","20":"tag-global","21":"tag-having","22":"tag-health","23":"tag-impact","24":"tag-inactivity","25":"tag-kids","26":"tag-last","27":"tag-longerterm","28":"tag-motion","29":"tag-movement","30":"tag-moving","31":"tag-need","32":"tag-negative","33":"tag-nutrition","34":"tag-of","35":"tag-only","36":"tag-our","37":"tag-published","38":"tag-screens","39":"tag-spending","40":"tag-starved","41":"tag-study","42":"tag-their","43":"tag-there","44":"tag-time","45":"tag-uk","46":"tag-united-kingdom","47":"tag-university","48":"tag-why","49":"tag-wollongong","50":"tag-year","51":"tag-young"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115461799871189159","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}