How to Increase Metabolism in Kids

Many factors go into determining a child's metabolism. As The Children's Hospital reports, metabolism is determined by physical activity level, the amount of muscle and fat in the individual's body and the person's metabolic rate while at rest. While nothing you can do can change your child's natural metabolic rate, you can increase his metabolism by influencing the other factors involved in determining it.

Instructions

• 1

  Feed your child breakfast. A healthy breakfast gets his metabolism going in the morning. If you allow your child to skip this important meal, his body will feel like it is still in hibernation and his metabolism will work more slowly.

• 2

  Encourage your kid to engage in active play. The presence of fat can slow down a metabolism. Help your child burn fat while having fun by encouraging her to set down the video game controller and opt instead for some active fun-in-the-sun. By doing so, you not only will help her drop a few pounds, you also will give her metabolism a boost.

• 3

  Engage your kid in playful strength training. As KidsHealth reports, the more muscle a child has, the higher his metabolic rate. While your child may be too young to engage in heavy strength training, you can still offer him the benefits of strength training by setting up playful challenges, such as creating a heavy-lifting relay for him and his friends.

• 4

  Fill your child's diet with healthy foods. If you feed your child's body right, her metabolism likely will respond by speeding up a bit. Instead of plying your child with sugar and junk food, feed her fruits, vegetables and whole grains to ensure her body operates at peak performance.