It turns out that physical activity can help prevent depression in youngsters. There has been a study done that showed the kids who exercised more had a less chance of being depressed. There needs to be more research to find out exactly why, but it is pretty obvious that your kids need to run around and stay active to be happier people.

Key Takeaways:

• Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and NTNU Social Research found that children who engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity (activity that gets kids sweaty and out of breath) are less likely to develop depression.
• More study needs to be done before we can figure out why exercise might help prevent depression in kids — whether, as researchers theorized, it’s the distraction of physical activity or the self-esteem and social inclusion that come with participation in team sports, for example.
• Encouraging our kids to be more physically active has very little downside that we can see. It reduces screen time, it prevents obesity, and now, it may help prevent them from developing depression.

“Though the effect of exercise on depression is small, researchers noted that it was similar to the effect of “psychosocial intervention programs” like therapy, which is pretty amazing.”

http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1131721/physical-activity-prevent-depression-kids