Helping children find activities they like is one of the keys to keeping them active.

“It doesn’t matter what the activity is so long as they like it,” says Alan Pace, director of operations at children’s gym Spinach Fitness.

Parents play an important role in inculcating the importance of physical activity among children. To start with, they can lead by example and they can help their child explore different activities to find something they enjoy.

“For example, children who like balancing might enjoy climbing, cycling, playgrounds, dance or gymnastics. Others who like hand-eye coordination tasks might enjoy ball games, bowling or sports like tennis and squash,” points out Pace.

However, parents should not monitor their child’s activity too closely.

“Unless the parent is not practising with the child, he or she should not interfere. Let the child grow.

“Most will learn through failure – there is nothing wrong. What’s wrong in my opinion is that we parents want our children to be champions. The pressure we put on them might put them off.”

Pace says that children love all sorts of activity and there’s no difference between girls and boys.

“It’s us adults that stereotype. It’s best to encourage children to play different activities and let them enjoy the experience. Then by time, let their coaches guide you in the right direction. With their help, children can then excel in one or more types of activities.”

He also suggests getting children to practise seasonal activities, like swimming in summer and indoor activities in winter.

As regards very young children, Pace says that they are rarely intensely active for long periods, but will often have bursts of activity for a few minutes or less.

“This is healthy, and our children will be more likely to keep doing it if we encourage them. We should explore this in our schools. Instead of having long periods dedicated to exercise, small bouts of 10 to 15 minutes of exercise repeated during the day might be more effective.”

Pace adds that special attention should be given to overweight kids, who often do not like to exercise or practise any type of physical activity.

“Exercising in public can be humiliating. Sometimes just wearing shorts and a T-shirt in front of other kids can also be too embarrassing,” he says.

He suggests giving these children exercises that challenge the four major muscle groups and then include a bout of cardiovascular activity.

“I believe kids need to build muscle mass – not become muscle bound – in order to burn the excessive fat faster. Any activity that raises the pulse is also recommended.

“Activities of this kind need to be done frequently in order to become effective. For better results one must also change the dietary habits, so I would suggest that parents consult a registered nutritionist for the best advice.”

Tips for parents

•  Be active yourself and your child is more likely to follow your lead.

•  Give your child praise and encouragement if an activity is proving a bit hard for him.

•  Spend active time with your child. Try to make some time to have fun playing actively with your child. It’s great to find something you both enjoy doing.

•  Accompany your child when he tries an organised sport.

• Involve your child in daily chores around the house, such as washing the car and cleaning.

• Bikes and scooters make great gifts, and encourage physical activity and opportunities to play outdoors.