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Children are more likely to be active if they have plenty of toys, new research has shown.
Scientists at the University of Buffalo studied the activity levels of 36 children, aged eight to 12 years, who were divided into three groups.
The first group had one toy to play with; the second group had three toys; and the third group had five.
After 60 minutes of playtime, the researchers observed that children who had three or five toys were 95 per cent more active than those who had just one.
Providing a good selection of toys had a particularly noticeable effect on the heart rate of girls.
Lead author Dr Denise Feda, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, said: 'The results of this study are significant, considering the epidemic of childhood obesity plaguing this country.
'Adults looking for effective ways to increase their child's exercise time should take a look at toy variety. Adding an active toy or two could help, especially for girls.'
According to the latest report from the NHS Information Centre, published in February 2011, 86 per cent of five to ten-year-olds had taken part in sports activities outside of school hours during the four weeks prior to the survey in 2009-10.
Scientists at the University of Buffalo studied the activity levels of 36 children, aged eight to 12 years, who were divided into three groups.
The first group had one toy to play with; the second group had three toys; and the third group had five.
After 60 minutes of playtime, the researchers observed that children who had three or five toys were 95 per cent more active than those who had just one.
Providing a good selection of toys had a particularly noticeable effect on the heart rate of girls.
Lead author Dr Denise Feda, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, said: 'The results of this study are significant, considering the epidemic of childhood obesity plaguing this country.
'Adults looking for effective ways to increase their child's exercise time should take a look at toy variety. Adding an active toy or two could help, especially for girls.'
According to the latest report from the NHS Information Centre, published in February 2011, 86 per cent of five to ten-year-olds had taken part in sports activities outside of school hours during the four weeks prior to the survey in 2009-10.
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