There is a lot of talk now about getting kids more active and fit, and about treating and preventing overweight and obesity in children. How much activity should children be getting every day? There are some guidelines based on the age of the child.
One overarching guideline is to think about physical activity in children in terms of play, because that’s what it really is in younger children. They need to have plenty of physically active playtime, both structured and unstructured. In the pre-teen and teen years, they may need more structured and semi-structured activities like sports and PE.
Guidelines for Infants
- Infants should interact with parents and caregivers in daily activities as they explore their environment
- Activity can include a variety of games such as peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. Games in which the baby is held, moved, and carried to new environments are physically and intellectually stimulating.
- Infants should not be placed in areas which restrict movement for long periods of time. They need to be in safe settings which promote activity and exploration.
- Infants’ physical activity should be developmentally appropriate and facilitate the development of motor skills such as rolling, sitting up, going from sitting to standing, crawling, etc.
Guidelines for Toddlers
- Toddlers play in bursts, with periods of intense activity followed by rest and quieter activities. Guidelines for the amount of activity they need are a total amount for the day; it does not need to be continuous activity.
- Toddlers should accumulate a total of about 30 minutes of structured play and activity over the course of a day.
- Toddlers should actively play 60 or more minutes over the course of a day. They should not remain still for more than one hour at a time except when sleeping.
- Toddlers can build skills for more complex motor activities, for example, rolling, bouncing, throwing, catching and kicking balls.
- Toddlers, when given the opportunity, will generally accumulate this much activity naturally.
Guidelines for Preschoolers
- Preschoolers also play in bursts of activity followed by rest. Guidelines are for total amounts of activity accumulated throughout the day.
- Preschoolers should accumulate about 60 minutes of structured play and activity a day.
- Preschoolers should actively play 60 or more minutes over the course of a day. They should not remain still for more than one hour at a time except when sleeping.
- Preschoolers can build a variety of motor skills that improve hand-eye and foot-eye coordination, balance, timing, etc.
Guidelines for School-Age Children (ages 5 to 12)
- Children often engage in bursts of activity which alternate with short periods of rest.
- Children should accumulate 60 or more minutes of age-appropriate activity most days of the week.
- Several bursts of activity each day should last at least 15 minutes.
- Unstructured play and activities continue to be important at this age in building a variety of skills including creativity and problem-solving skills and social interaction with other children.
- Extended periods of inactivity (2-3 hours) are discouraged, especially during the daytime.
- Recess should be an integral part of a child’s school day
Guidelines for Adolescents
- There is come controversy about activity guidelines for adolescents and adults regarding just how much vigorous activity is needed and how much regular physical activity is necessary.
- It is clear, however, that adolescents are spending far too much time in sedentary activities and need to get up and get moving!
- Adolescents should engage in regular physical activity daily, or nearly every day, as part of everyday activities including play, games, sports, work, transportation, recreation, physical education, or planned exercise. Activity can take place in the context of family, school and/or community.
- Adolescents should engage in three or more sessions per week of activities that last 20 minutes or more at a time and that requires moderate to vigorous levels of exertion.
- Schools should include physical education (PE) as an integral and required part of the curriculum
