Getting kids moving at home: play rather than exercise

How much movement do they need?

The World Health Organization recommends that 5-17 year olds get an average of 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, with muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week (Bull et al., 2020). In younger children, activity is linked to better motor development and fitness (Carson et al., 2017).

Those 60 minutes don't have to happen in one go: every active moment counts. In school-aged children, physical activity is linked to many benefits, from fitness to cardiometabolic health (Poitras et al., 2016). A 10-minute session at home is a real contribution.

Play rather than exercise

A child doesn't do "30 seconds of jumping jacks": they become a starfish. A theme (a safari, space, pirates), animals to copy and a little story change everything. The movements stay the same: crawling, jumping, balancing, but they become a game.

These basic movements are exactly the ones that build children's motor skills. Programmes that work on them clearly improve them (Logan et al., 2012), and short active breaks, like those used in classrooms, increase time spent moving (Watson et al., 2017).

Five ideas that work

• Copy animals: the bear (on all fours), the frog (squat then jump), the crab (seated, bottom up), the flamingo (on one leg), the kangaroo (little hops).
• The statue game during breaks: everyone freezes, the first one to move makes the others laugh.
• A path to follow: each animal is a stage, and at the end you've done the whole safari.
• Happy music, and an adult who joins in (children copy their parents first).
• End calmly: the snake stretching, the lion sleeping and breathing slowly.

Safety tips

• Clear the space and choose a non-slip floor; barefoot or in trainers.
• Short efforts (20 to 30 seconds) with a break each time: children recover quickly but get bored quickly too.
• No weights or long static exercises: natural movements are enough.
• Never force it: a child who wants to stop stops. The goal is for them to want to play again.

With FitPacer

The "Moving safari" routine does all of this: six animals shown by animated figures, a voice that tells the story, the statue game between animals and, at the end, the collection of animals you met. It lasts about 12 minutes and is in the library, under "Family time".

Routines to get started

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References

1. Bull F. C. et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
2. Carson V. et al. (2017). Systematic review of the relationships between physical activity and health indicators in the early years (0-4 years). BMC Public Health, 17(Suppl. 5), 854. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4860-0
3. Poitras V. J. et al. (2016). Systematic review of the relationships between objectively measured physical activity and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(6 Suppl. 3), S197-S239. doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2015-0663
4. Logan S. W., Robinson L. E., Wilson A. E., Lucas W. A. (2012). Getting the fundamentals of movement: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 38(3), 305-315. doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01307.x
5. Watson A., Timperio A., Brown H., Best K., Hesketh K. D. (2017). Effect of classroom-based physical activity interventions on academic and physical activity outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14, 114. doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0569-9