Being Active

It is important for children to maintain physical activity, and there are many ways to encourage this within your family. Exercise doesn’t always have to be about running or swimming. You can turn day-to-day activities into fun forms of exercise that get your heart rate up for 10 minutes or more at a time. Here are some suggestions for 10-minute exercise routines:

  • 10 Minute Shake Up Games: Change4Life and Disney have teamed up to bring you play-along games inspired by your favourite Disney and Pixar characters. These 10-minute bursts of fun will really get your kids moving and count towards the 60 active minutes they need every day.

  • Walking: Whilst you might be focused on getting your child to school as quickly as possible via car for example, the walk there and back is a simple form of exercise which can help your child (and you!) reach your 60 minutes of activity a day.

It’s important to let children try different things so they can find something they like. All forms of exercise and sport are great for a child, and you should motivate and celebrate any progress or developments they make. Doing sport is not only healthy for the body, it can have a great impact on confidence and well-being; above all it can be a lot of fun! It is important to support your child in trying out different sports and be encouraging whenever they start playing. Try and promote the feel-good factor as much as possible.

Physical Education (PE) sessions will offer different sport types, so listen to what your child has done each session and encourage them to try new things. Remember, children need to be active for at least 60 minutes in total each day but also need to reduce the time they spend sitting.