How much physical activity do kids need? Guidelines by age

How much your child needs to move depends on their age: for babies minutes are not the measure at all, toddlers and preschoolers need about 180 minutes spread across the day, and from age 5 onwards the target is at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity.

Below you will find your child's row, how to tell the intensities apart and how the hour fits into a normal school day.

What is the daily target for each age?

There is no single number: as children grow, both the amount and the thing being measured change. The table brings the World Health Organization and CDC recommendations together.

What changes with age?

1. 0-12 months

   Opportunity, not duration

   Minutes are not the measure: free floor play and tummy time are.

2. 1-4 years

   A daily total appears

   Now there is a daily total, and from age three intensity starts to count too.

3. 5-11 years

   Intensity and strengthening

   The target shifts to moderate-to-vigorous, and muscle- and bone-strengthening joins the week.

4. 12-18 years

   The teenager decides

   The target stays the same; what changes is who decides, and how much school and travel crowd movement out.

The figures can also be read as a weekly average, so a quiet day can be balanced by a more active one. You will find the other topics of these stages on our 0-12 months and 6-9 years pages.

Moderate or vigorous: how do you tell?

Intensity is measured by breathing, not by the clock. During moderate activity your child's breathing speeds up but conversation continues. During vigorous activity sentences break up and sweating becomes obvious.

Most of the day is moderate: brisk walking, cycling, playing in the yard. Vigorous activity means chasing games, jumping rope and swimming, and is recommended on at least three days a week together with movement that loads muscles and bones.

How do you fit 60 minutes into the day?

Treating the target as one dedicated exercise hour makes it feel impossible for most families. The time can be broken up, and it slots into gaps the school day already has.

• Walk to school, or get off one stop early and walk the rest. "Want to walk today?" at the door is often all it takes.
• Encourage running at recess, and note which days have PE.
• Make twenty minutes in the yard or park a fixed part of the after-school routine: "Park first, homework after."
• Add a short family walk after dinner; "Let's take a lap around the block" turns it into a habit.
• Plan one longer active session on the weekend: cycling, swimming or a ball game.

We look at where movement sits in the day in more detail in our activity, sports and free time section.

Why that much, and where does sitting become a problem?

Movement is more than burning off energy. Bones grow stronger when they carry load, running and climbing build balance and coordination, and regular activity supports sleep and attention.

Adolescents (11-17) who do not meet the recommended daily activity

• Girls 85%
• Boys 78%

The target has another side: long unbroken sitting. For children under five, being restrained in a stroller or high chair for more than an hour at a time is not recommended; for school-age children, long periods of sitting are broken up with short movement breaks.

Babies and toddlers: what is measured instead?

For a baby under one, counting minutes makes little sense. The measure is free time on the floor while awake: reaching, rolling, pushing up, crawling. At least 30 minutes of tummy time across the waking day is recommended, and it can be split into short stretches.

Once a child walks, the measure becomes a daily total again. Children of this age want to move anyway; the parent's job is not to count minutes but to remove the obstacles — a safe floor, shoes that allow movement and time set aside for going outside.

When to see a doctor about your child's movement

Energy levels differ: one child runs constantly while another is calmer by nature. The table below helps you decide when to see a doctor; what matters is whether movement itself is becoming difficult.

Worth asking about	Usual
Runs out of energy quickly in games peers manage, and rest does not help	Tires after a long play session and recovers with a rest
Regularly avoids movement or complains of pain	Does not feel like going outside on some days
Joint swelling, limping or pain that does not pass	Falls down and is back in the game the next day
Clear loss of walking, running or balance skills	Movement skills develop in line with age

The signs in this table are reasons to make an appointment. Breathlessness, wheezing or blue lips during light activity, however, need urgent assessment rather than a scheduled visit.