National Preschool Health & Fitness Day
Nurturing the well-being of young children — ensuring vitality through gentle activities — builds the early foundations for lifelong health.
All children deserve the attention and care they need to be healthy and fit! But preschoolers have a particular opportunity as they are spending these years building foundations and habits that lead through their childhoods and last a lifetime.
National Preschool Health & Fitness Day is here to act as an important reminder for parents, teachers, grandparents and other caregivers of preschoolers to focus on their children’s health needs.
History of National Preschool Health & Fitness Day
National Preschool Health and Fitness Day was started to encourage parents and teachers of preschoolers to get the children in their care to get moving! The day was founded by the folks over at the KID-FIT organization, which was created in 1991 and is focused on the health of preschoolers. The day is also supported by the Child Care Services Association (CCSA), with the aim of helping children and families to build a better future.
This is a great time for parents and teachers of preschoolers to get access to early health education, encourage nutritious eating, and develop an active lifestyle.
The last Friday in the month of January is a perfect time for National Preschool Health & Fitness Day to take place, as the winter months can be a time when it’s cold outside and tempting to spend time hibernating. And with childhood obesity on the rise in the United States, it is important to create healthy and positive habits in children from a very young age. And keeping kids busy and moving starting in preschool is one of the best ways for them to be and stay healthy and fit!
How to Observe National Preschool Health & Fitness Day
Get involved with National Preschool Health & Fitness Day in a variety of creative ways that help to keep the little ones healthy, so get started with some of these:
Keep Preschool Kids Active
All kids will benefit from getting regular exercise, but it’s important to make the exercise fun and not drudgery! One of the best ways for kids to enjoy movement is to make it a dance by adding music, or turn it into a game. Parents and teachers can get involved too, with the extra bonus of burning a few calories themselves.
Get Health Checkups for Preschoolers
Parents of preschool children know that it is important to keep their children healthy with regular medical checkups and health screenings through their pediatricians. National Preschool Health & Fitness Day is a great reminder that keeping these types of appointments allow for routine tests that help to detect problems before symptoms arise. This could be anything from hearing and vision screenings to blood pressure and blood cholesterol checks to dental health checkups.
Make Some Healthy Food Exchanges
Kids in preschool are still young enough that their food preferences are continuing to be sealed! This is a great time to exchange some less healthy snacks or foods for some healthier ones. Trade out white bread for healthier whole wheat bread, change snack cakes for apple slices with peanut butter, or swap pudding cups for yogurt.
