Children who love sports can grow seven to eight centimeters taller
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In spring, the body’s metabolism is vigorous, and endocrine hormones—especially growth hormone—secretion increases. In addition, the ultraviolet content in spring sunlight is the highest of all seasons, which is beneficial for the absorption of vitamin D and calcium. Therefore, spring is the "golden season" for children’s growth.
Jiang Hong, director of the Pediatrics Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, introduced that there is a formula for calculating a child’s height: boys’ height = (father’s height + mother’s height + 13) / 2 (±5 cm); girls’ height = (father’s height + mother’s height - 13) / 2 (±5 cm). Based on this formula, studies have shown that children who regularly participate in physical exercise are, on average, 7–8 centimeters taller than their peers who do not exercise. Therefore, it is recommended that children engage in outdoor activities for 1–2 hours daily.
Different Ages Require Different Types of Exercise
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For children of different ages, the strategies for growing taller through exercise can vary. For babies under 1 year old, parents can do baby exercises, massages, and other passive movements with them. They can also let the babies play with pull-string toys or crawl after balls. For 1–2-year-olds, activities such as walking, running, jumping, going up and down steps, throwing balls, and playing with sandbags are suitable. For 2–3-year-olds, exercises like running, jumping, climbing, going up and down stairs, as well as games such as jumping with a ball between the knees, standing long jump, catching and throwing balls, stepping on shadows, and standing on one leg are appropriate. For children over 4 years old, exercise should be combined with games, allowing them to dance, play “drop the handkerchief,” or play “eagle catches chicks” outdoors.
School-aged children can engage in swimming, jogging, brisk walking, skating, cycling, and various ball sports. These types of activities are best done 3–5 times per week, 20–30 minutes each time, and no more than 2 hours per day, which can be divided into 2–3 sessions. Jumping rope, jumping rubber bands, frog jumps, and vertical jumps are plyometric exercises that provide rhythmic pressure to the lower limbs, and adequate blood supply will accelerate bone growth. These jumping exercises are best done 1–3 times a day for 5–10 minutes each time. Pull-ups, rhythmic gymnastics, leg kicks, and leg stretches are flexibility-enhancing exercises. When combined with the first two types of exercise, they should be performed 3–5 times per week.