Children love to play and be active. To benefit their health, children over 5 should be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day. It doesn’t have to be a structured sport – anything that gets them up and moving will do.

Living an active lifestyle

About 4 out of 5 children in Australia don't get the daily 60 minutes of physical activity they need for good health. Encouraging your child to be physically active every day will set them up to be active and healthy for their whole lives.

The challenge is to encourage children to sit less and to move more.

Sit less

Australian children are spending more time than ever before sitting or lying down (known as sedentary behaviour), often because they’re using electronic media. Even if your child is active and does a lot of sport, they will still benefit from sitting less.

All children spend time sitting at school, doing homework and reading. But it’s important to strike a balance and to find more opportunities for them to move.

The Australian Government recommends that children aged 2 to 5 should spend no more than 1 hour a day in front of a screen. No screen time at all is recommended for children under 2.

Children aged 5 to 12 should spend no more than 2 hours a day in front of a screen for entertainment, including television, seated electronic games, portable electronic devices or computers.

Move more

According to Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines, children need the following:

Birth to 1 year: moving on the floor from birth (including 'tummy time', when you place your child in a safe place, such as a play mat on the floor)

1 to 5 years: at least 3 hours of being physically active, spread throughout the day

5 to 12 years: at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. That includes fast walking, riding a bike or scooter, playing, running and doing organised sports. There should be a mix of activities that make them puff and activities that are good for their bones, like climbing on monkey bars, gymnastics, dance, running, skipping and jumping.

The 60 minutes doesn’t have to be done all in one go. You can build it up so your child accumulates the physical activity over the day.

Health benefits of exercise

Exercise can be anything that makes children's breathing faster and their heart beat quicker. Sitting less and exercising for 60 minutes a day (not necessarily all in one go) has many health benefits for children:

• They      will develop healthy bones, muscles and joints.

• They      will develop healthy heart and lungs.

• Their      coordination, strength and muscle control will improve.

• They      will maintain a healthy body weight.

• Their      body will become more flexible.

• Their      balance and posture will improve.

• Their      brain will develop vital connections, leading to improved concentration      and thinking skills.

• They      are less likely to develop chronic diseases, such as heart disease and      type 2 diabetes.

Tips for encouraging physical activity

• Choose      activities your child likes and that are fun.

• Make      sure there's lots of variety and your child tries different things.

• Build      physical activity into your child's day – for example, by walking to      school, washing the car or helping in the garden.

• Reward      your child with an activity like a visit to the park rather than with      screen time.

• Praise      and encourage your child.

• Be      active yourself and involve the whole family.