How Much Physical Activity Do Kids Need?

The usual answer is an hour a day of moderate to vigorous activity for children over five, with under-fives needing considerably more and mostly through play. That number is a reasonable target and it is not the interesting part.

The interesting part is that movement is not primarily about fitness at this age. It is doing developmental work that nothing else does, and understanding which work changes what you optimise for.

What movement is actually building

Attention. Children generally settle to a demanding task better after movement than before it. The effect is short-lived and real, which is an argument for movement before homework rather than as a reward after it.

Sleep. Physically tired children fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply, and sleep then improves attention and mood. This is the most reliable chain in the whole area.

The trunk and shoulders. Climbing, hanging and carrying build the stability that later steadies a hand for writing. A child who cannot sit comfortably cannot write comfortably, and the fix is at the shoulder rather than the pencil.

Risk calibration. A child who has climbed and occasionally fallen has information about heights that cannot be told to them. Removing all risk removes the learning as well as the bruise.

Mood. The association between activity and lower rates of anxiety and low mood in children is consistent, though the direction is not always clean.

What counts

Almost everything except sitting. Walking to school, running about at break, carrying shopping, climbing a tree, dancing in the kitchen, a scooter, chasing a sibling. It does not have to be a sport and it does not have to be organised, and for younger children unorganised is generally better because it includes more variety of movement.

Three kinds are worth having across a week: something that raises the heart rate, something that loads muscle and bone such as climbing or jumping, and something that involves balance and coordination.

The organised sport question

Useful for many children and not required. A weekly hour of football is less movement than daily walking and free play, and early specialisation in one sport is associated with more overuse injury and more dropping out rather than better outcomes. Variety is the better bet until well into adolescence.

The easiest lever in most households

Not adding an activity. Removing a car journey, going outside for twenty minutes after school before anything else happens, and letting the walk to somewhere be the activity rather than the obstacle before it.

This piece is general guidance and is not a substitute for advice from a doctor who knows your child.