This week the Minister of Health, Social Services and Equality (Ana Mato) announced that she is working with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports to find a formula that allows implement a daily hour of physical exercise and sport during the school day.
In my opinion, and given the overload of schoolwork to which children are often exposed, the claim is exaggerated, since they would have less time to finish homework in class and would return home even more saturated. Now, I fully understand the motivation for such a proposal: since the authorities ofthey should worry about promoting healthy habits, and avoiding sedentary childhood.
We were just commenting here a few days ago that among the practices to improve the lifestyle is the usual physical exercise. And we also know that sedentary lifestyle can be decisive (along with food, of course) in the onset of childhood obesity.
But it turns out that nor is it only the government that should worry about the health of our children, nor the urban environment in which many families live make it easier for children to have a healthy practice of exercise when they leave class.
Extracurricular classes, streets saturated with traffic, small parks, too many obligations ... with this panorama it would be difficult for any child to find adequate spaces and times to do what they really want.
And what would the body ask for according to their development? I dare to say that (with exceptions) the little ones would ask for some freedom and adequate places to run, play with the ball, climb, meet their classmates, laugh, talk ... well, nothing new under the sun.
However (and if that were not enough) when they can finally enjoy a moment of leisure, they have at their disposal the television or the laptop, or the smartphone of potato, and why not? any of those consoles with which they have so much fun playing. But we already know that by not setting limits, in addition to losing the opportunity to move, other problems may develop due to abusive use.
My children are clear, even the oldest who apparently 'gets lost' by an electronic game: if I give them a choice, they choose the street, and their friends, the adventures, the exploration of their bodily limits (can I climb that tree? ?)
I want to say with this that parents have more responsibility than anyone in the subject, and increase the hours of physical education or not in school, we must take care that our children have a healthy diet, avoid sedentary lifestyle and (as a result) can exercise (regulated or not). And not only on weekdays, but (as our companion Eva, Babies and More commented), also on weekends and holidays.
