New Statistics from the BBC reported that half of the UK’s young children are not getting enough exercise!
The University of London monitored 6,500 children in order to find out how active children in this country really are, and shockingly 51% of children are still not getting the recommend one hour of physical activity each day.
These statistics suggested that 38% of these were girls compared to 63% for boys.
Here at FootieBugs our aim is to introduce and encourage children from as young as 3 years-old to get active through our football based classes.
It’s not just about football!
We pride ourselves on helping to educate children along with their parents/carers into the importance of living a healthy lifestyle – eating right and getting enough exercise, no matter how old they are. We offer diet and nutritional information to our parents along with easy football related exercises that can be practised together at home.
Researchers from UCL suggested in their study that it is vital to make sport and other activities more attractive to children, in particular girls.
And that’s the beauty of FootieBugs; through the medium of football related fun games and stories we have created a progressive football curriculum for children aged 3 – 9 which introduces the sport and develops age appropriate skills. Our philosophy and methodologies are based on cutting edge educational principles of how children learn techniques and develop them into skills whilst having a fantastic time!
Our unique football programmes are suitable for 3-9 years encouraging both girls and boys to play together – but we also accommodate girls wanting to participate in same sex classes, also offering programmes just for girls!
Dr John Middleton Faculty of Public Health said;
“We need our children to grow up to be fit and healthy adults, not just because it’s what any civilised society would want for its children, but it’s also best for our economy too”.
Prof Carol Dezateux, one of the lead authors of the research then went on to say;
“There is a big yawning gap between girls and boys. We need to really think about how we are reaching out to girls. Our findings are particularly worrying as seven-year-olds are likely to become less active as they get older, not more, no matter what gender.”
The research then went on to explain in order for children to achieve the one hour a day that is recommended, children need to take part in moderate or vigorous activities, which could include anything from brisk walking and cycling to playing football or rugby and running.
This is where FootieBugs is making a difference!
Our football programmes have been developed with the help of professional footballers and individuals experienced with working with children, to ensure that we encourage the children to maximise their knowledge and understanding of playing and being part of a team and instilling the right values to help develop each child reach their full potential no matter what gender, as well as getting them active at the same time.
The UCL research is not the first to suggest that children of this generation are not active enough. Previous studies have relied on “self-reporting” by children or parents/carers estimating the levels of exercise which is not precise. Whereas this research by UCL involved real-time monitoring of the children as they wore and accelerometer to measure the exercise levels, this was attached to an elastic belt around their waist.
Dr Ann Hoskins, of the Public Health England added;
“This study highlights that there is still much to do to keep children and young adults active as they grow older.”
At FootieBugs we couldn’t agree more and as a company we are actively seeking individuals who are passionate about football and want to help us get kids active, to join our network of talented franchises.
For information about local classes and franchising opportunities visit our website www.footiebugs.com
Sources from: www.bbc.co.uk/bbc
Written By: Amy Burge
