Editorial: Children need more than a desk

Kindergarten caters for children aged three to five, a formative stage when movement is not a luxury but a necessity.

At this age, children are wired to play, run, explore and test their physical limits. While this may be exhausting for the adults looking after them, it is how they grow, learn and develop.

And the science backs up this energised behaviour. Research shows that physical activity in early childhood reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers later in life. It improves blood pressure, supports healthy weight, and enhances mental health and overall wellbeing.

The World Health Organisation stresses that across a full day, children should have a balance of more movement, less sedentary screen time and adequate sleep.

A recent study suggests Malta may be falling short of these basic standards in the early years.

A recent pilot study, the KG-PAM project led by Andrew Decelis at the University of Malta’s Institute for Physical Education and Sport, tracked 111 kindergarten children and 30 educators to measure activity levels during school hours.

They found that, on average, children accumulated 100 minutes of light physical activity, 18 minutes of moderate activity and just seven minutes of vigorous activity during the school day.

In total, this amounted to 125 minutes of physical activity of any intensity, including only 25 minutes of moderate to vigorous movement.

These statistics shine a light on a potential shortfall.

WHO guidelines recommend that children aged three to four should engage in at least 180 minutes of physical activity spread throughout the day, including a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity.

In other words, during school hours alone, children are achieving just over one-third of the recommended level of meaningful movement.

While global guidelines apply across the entire day and not only school hours the reality is that children are spending an increasing portion of their waking lives in structured settings. As more families rely on early schooling due to work commitments, the responsibility on educational institutions to provide sufficient opportunities for movement becomes even more pronounced.

The findings stress that physical education in the early years cannot remain incidental or optional – especially in the context of Malta’s high rates of childhood obesity.

Physical movement must be structured, intentional and embedded within the daily routine – as it is in later school years. Introducing dedicated physical education sessions in kindergarten is not an innovation but a necessity.

This concern is not new. A 2022 national study on childhood obesity by the Superintendence of Public Health found that 12.1% of children until the age of five were either overweight or obese.

While many parents reported that their children engaged in extracurricular physical activity and active play at home, the school day itself is clearly falling short.

Malta cannot afford to ignore this evidence. The researchers themselves recommend introducing systems that ensure more movement during school hours.

If the foundations of lifelong health are laid in the first five years, then kindergarten classrooms must become environments that actively promote movement.

This is not about overhauling curricula or placing unrealistic demands on educators. It is about recognising that physical activity is as fundamental as literacy and numeracy in early childhood.

Structured play, guided movement and regular opportunities should be integral to every kindergarten day.

The bottom line is that children need to be free to move and play. It is up to us adults now – especially the policy makers – to make the first move and create the necessary space.