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Without regular physical activity, children’s healthy development is basically impossible. Being active from a young age helps prevent chronic disease, lowers the risk of injuries, and supports cognitive function and mental health. However, currently, only 20-28% of American children aged 6 to 17 meet the recommended level of physical activity.
Regular exercise is no less important for young people than cognitive and social engagement, yet many parents fail to ensure that their children get enough of it. Part of the problem lies in the general normalization of a sedentary lifestyle – both among children and adults. Another factor is lack of knowledge regarding the recommended physical activity for kids.
Knowing the right amount and kind of exercise a child needs is the first step toward defying the odds. Clear, age-appropriate guidelines can help caregivers build daily routines that keep children active and healthy – without demanding too much time and effort.
Recommended physical activity for children ages 3 to 5
How much physical activity a child needs depends on their age. For young children, being active isn’t just about physical health – it’s also a key way they explore the world and socialize. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children aged 3 to 5 be active throughout the day.
This doesn’t mean that a child has to be jumping, running, and doing other intensive exercises nonstop. Walking a dog, helping parents in the garden, active play with other children, and similar lower-intensity physical activities still count. In fact, adding variety is even better: balancing different types of activity supports healthy development more than focusing on just one sport – say, basketball – to meet the recommendations.
Some parents feel that the CDC’s “the child should stay active throughout the day” guideline is a bit too vague. If that’s the case, consider following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation instead – 180 minutes of different types of physical activity for young children daily.
Recommended physical activity for children ages 6 to 17
As a child gets older and starts school, “staying active throughout the day” is no longer realistic – nor is it necessary. So, how much physical activity do children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 need? According to the CDC guidelines, the recommended norm is 60 minutes per day. One hour doesn’t seem like a lot, yet fewer than one-third of children in the U.S. actually meet this target.
Again, 60 minutes doesn’t necessarily mean 60 minutes of intense exercise like football or swimming. Moderate physical activity – for example, a brisk walk to school that gets the child’s heart pumping or a game of fetch with the family dog – still counts. Plus, as children start school, they also get PE on some days, which helps them meet the exercise recommendations.
The number of minutes isn’t the only thing that matters, though. For healthy physical development, children need a good balance of different types of physical activity: aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening exercises.
Aerobic activity for kids:
Aerobic exercise, often referred to as “cardio,” is physical activity that elevates the heart rate. It promotes cardiovascular health, builds endurance, and helps support a healthy weight.
Aerobic activity should make up most of the daily 60+ minutes of exercise a child gets, even if it’s at moderate intensity, such as a fast walk or a bicycle ride. However, children and adolescents also need high-intensity aerobic exercises at least 3 times a week. This may include:
- Running
- Swimming laps
- Basketball
- Rollerblading or skateboarding
- Jump rope
- Cycling (fast pace or uphill)
- Hiking with hills or uneven terrain
- Martial arts or kickboxing
- High-energy group games (like capture the flag).
Muscle strengthening activities for kids:
In addition to regular aerobic activity, all children also need muscle-strengthening exercises, which help build strong muscles and improve overall fitness. While muscle-strengthening activities are a regular part of PE classes at school, this alone isn’t always enough. Every child and adolescent aged 6 to 17 needs at least 3 sessions per week focused on muscle-strengthening physical activities, which may include:
- Climbing on playground equipment (ladders, monkey bars)
- Push-ups or modified push-ups
- Sit-ups or crunches
- Resistance-band exercises
- Gymnastics or tumbling activities
- Tug-of-war or rope climbing
- Bodyweight squats or lunges
- Structured sports that involve strength (martial arts, wrestling, etc.).
Strengthening bones:
Finally, as part of the recommended 60+ minutes of daily activity, children also need regular bone-strengthening exercises. These exercises help build strong, healthy bones and lower the chances of bone fractures. Like with muscle-strengthening, every child and adolescent needs to engage in bone-strengthening exercises at least 3 times a week. This may include:
- Jumping and hopping
- Skipping rope
- Running or sprinting
- Dancing
- Playing sports like basketball, soccer, or tennis
- Gymnastics and tumbling
- Climbing (trees, playground structures, climbing walls, etc.).
Benefits of physical activity for children
The importance of regular and balanced physical activity is impossible to overstate – even more so for young people, who are in the active phase of their physical, cognitive, and mental development.
Physical benefits:
- Strengthens muscles and improves endurance
- Supports heart and lung health
- Helps maintain normal blood sugar levels
- Lowers the likelihood of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease
- Strengthens bones and supports healthy growth
- Helps maintain a healthy weight and lower one’s percentage of body fat
- Improves coordination, balance, and motor skills.
Cognitive benefits:
- Improves cognitive function, attention, and memory
- Supports healthy brain development and learning capacity.
Mental and emotional benefits:
- Improves mood and reduces the risk of depression and anxiety
- Supports emotional well-being and resilience
- Encourages social interaction and development through play.
These are just a few of the many benefits of exercise, yet they are already more than enough to see just how crucial physical activity is for children.
Children physical activity statistics
Most parents recognize the value of regular exercise, but unfortunately, the physical activity statistics remain alarming. The U.S. isn’t the only country where less than one-third of children and adolescents get the recommended 60 minutes of exercise a day.
Sure, some countries show better results – for example, in the U.K., 47.8% of children get enough exercise – but globally, the situation is closer to U.S. levels. According to the WHO, more than 80% of adolescents worldwide aren’t active enough.
The negative consequences of children’s sedentary lifestyles are already evident. Recent research from JAMA Pediatrics reveals that the number of adolescents who meet the criteria for prediabetes has grown from 11% in 1999 to 28% in 2018. Physical inactivity might not be the only factor behind this rise, but it’s definitely one of the major contributors.
Lack of exercise might also be one of the factors contributing to the growing prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents, particularly anxiety and depression. Physical activity is known to support mental well-being and has even shown benefits for young people who are already diagnosed with depression. So, when so many children and adolescents aren’t moving enough, the ongoing youth mental health crisis is hardly surprising.
Of course, the global pandemic has contributed to both the lack of exercise and the mental health crisis among young people. However, it’s been a few years since the peak of the pandemic, yet experts still give children’s overall physical activity levels the same grade as in 2022 – a concerning D-.
Conclusion
The problem of children physical activity – or rather inactivity – should be one of the top concerns for both parents and teachers. Both in the U.S. and globally, as little as one-fourth or so of children and adolescents get enough exercise.
Regular exercise is essential for children’s and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. It also helps them develop emotional regulation and learn to socialize with peers. Moreover, since regular physical activity supports mental well-being, it’s one of the ways to fight the ongoing youth mental health crisis.
So, no matter how “busy” or disinterested in sports a child is, it’s every caregiver’s responsibility to ensure that they get 60 minutes of physical activity a day – including aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening exercises.