Children’s perceptions of exercise ‐ are children mini‐adults?

Abstract

Pre‐adolescent children (51 girls, 23 boys) communicated their thoughts about leisure‐time physical activity within their own frame of reference. The question, “Is there anything you would like to write or draw about exercise?” was used to elicit children’s perceptions of “things that make you feel a bit out of breath, hot and sweaty”. Responses were coded for the presence of motivational factors and barriers to exercise participation. Results suggest boys and girls may hold different motivational constructions of physical activity. Motivational barriers, namely lack of energy and enjoyment were mentioned by boys and girls, suggesting negative perceptions of exercise were readily invoked. Discussion of these results considers the similarities with adult views of exercise. Implications for practice concern identification of children holding negative perceptions of physical activity, in order that effective physical activity promotion strategies can be operationalised.