As a parent, the best gifts you can give your child are happiness and health, and we found that the easiest way to do both is to keep your child active. Regular physical activity is important for your developing child because it can set the tone of how inclined they are to be active in their teenage years and through adulthood. Studies have shown that 95% of a person’s neurological development is complete by the age of 7, and around age 12 there is a neurological “pruning” that happens. This means that if your child isn’t physically active, the neurons in the brain that are responsible for physical activity will be phased out. In other words, if your child isn’t physically active when they’re young, they have less of a chance of being physically active adults.

Below are studies, articles, and research summaries that we found eye-opening, and have provided our own commentary on. Feel free to add your own opinions in the comment section of each post.