How Much Activity Do Kids Need?

The short answer is: the more activity kids get, the better off they will be. But we've also got some guidelines for you to follow with your family as well. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and here are its fitness recommendations for children and adolescents, from ages 6 to 17:

• A total of 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity (keep in mind that children are typically active in short bursts). Most of that should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least three days per week. Examples of aerobic activity include brisk walking, running, hopping, skipping, dancing, bicycling, jumping rope, and swimming.

• As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least three days of the week. For children, this type of activity may include using playground equipment, climbing trees, or playing tug-of-war. For tweens, examples of this type of activity include lifting relatively heavy objects (talk to your pediatrician to ensure your child is ready for exercise like this) or using body weight for resistance such as with push-ups.

• In addition, kids and adolescents should incorporate bone-strengthening physical activity  (e.g., brisk walking, running, jumping jacks, jumping rope, basketball, tennis, hopscotch, weight training for tweens with a doctor's approval) into their hour or more of daily physical activity, at least three times per week.

Now you must be thinking, those recommendations are for kids ages 6 and older. How much activity should my preschooler or younger child get? Don't despair, The National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE), offers these guidelines for you:

• Toddlers (12 to 36 months old) should accumulate at least 30 minutes daily of structured physical activity; preschoolers (3 to 5 years), at least 60 minutes -- and in a variety of activities and settings.

• Toddlers and preschoolers should engage in at least 60 minutes and up to several hours per day of daily, unstructured physical activity and should not be sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping.

And if those are too many numbers to keep straight, consider the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) advice to simply encourage free play in young children. For those ages 4 to 6, stimulate them with activities such as running, swimming, tumbling, throwing, and catching. The AAP says to focus on fun, playfulness, exploration, and experimentation while offering supervision and limited instruction (e.g. using a show-and-tell style). As for toddlers, stroll with them through a park, zoo, or your neighborhood, and let their curiosity move them, literally, while providing them with a safe environment to enjoy themselves and master basic motor skills. 

So what are the benefits of helping your child learn to love motion? Lifelong health!

"Youth who are regularly active also have a better chance of a healthy adulthood. Children and adolescents don't usually develop chronic diseases, such as heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or osteoporosis," according to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. "However, risk factors for these disease can begin to develop early in life. Regular physical activity makes it less likely that these risk factors will develop and more likely that children will remain healthy as adults." Exercise is also important for growing bones and developing muscles. 

Now many parents may think that their child is plenty active, but a 2008 study from the University of California at San Diego found that younger children are more likely to meet the required amount of activity, but as children get older, participation in physical activity decreases. And with physical education classes being pulled from schools more and more due to academic and financial pressures, you can't rely on schools to keep your kids active either.  

So what's a parent to do? Starting from a very young age, we need to encourage our kids to be active, have fun in physical pursuits, and promote their confidence in their abilities. The best way to do this is to recognize appropriate activities for your child's developmental stage, and this age-by-age guide can help you. We also included some of the challenges you may face in getting your child to be more active, and we provided tips on how to overcome those obstacles.

Also keep in mind that while activity is great to encourage, don't overdo it either. If your child said he's had enough, follow his lead. Watch for cues of tiredness to prevent unnecessary injury too.