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Being active

Exercise is important for children to keep them happy and healthy. There are plenty of fun ways to keep the whole family active. Pre-schoolers need at least three hours of physical activity throughout the day, including active indoor and outdoor play. The more the better! Aim for a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity a day for school-age children. Below are some of the ways you can encourage this within your family.

Encouragement and motivation

Exercise doesn’t just have to be about getting your child to go swimming or running. Think about which activities your child enjoys more. Are there any day-to-day activities that you could turn into a fun form of exercise (that gets your heart rate up for 10 minutes or more at a time) for everyone to enjoy together?

It's important to let children try different things so they can find something they like. Try and understand which forms of exercise they enjoy. Encourage them to continue with these and look for further opportunities to develop their interest like joining a local team or an after-school club. All forms of exercise and sport are great for a child. You should celebrate any progress or developments they make.

Need some ideas about which sports your child might like? The NHS Healthier Families website has more ideas and information about ways to try new sports or activities.

Promoting confidence

Doing sport is not only healthy for the body, it can have a great impact on confidence and well-being. Above all, it can be a lot of fun! It is important to support your child in trying out different sports and be encouraging whenever they start playing. Try and promote the feel-good factor as much as possible.

Ideas for keeping active
  • 10 Minute Shake Up Games: Change4Life and Disney have teamed up to bring you play-along games inspired by your favourite Disney and Pixar characters. These 10-minute bursts of fun will really get your kids moving and count toward the 60 active minutes they need every day
  • The workout badges with Hey Duggee & Joe Wicks: The workout badges bring together the fun of Hey Duggee with the positive energy of Joe Wicks to help pre-schoolers learn how to stay fit and healthy all presented within an exciting world of live-action and animation
  • Cosmic Yoga: Uses stories, role play, and a good portion of silliness to make yoga and mindfulness fun for kids
  • Jump at home: Play with these fun, simple indoor activities to keep your children entertained
  • Andy's Wild Workouts: Your child can adventure with Andy and learn some animal moves of their own
  • 50 Things to do Before You're 5: Inspires parents and carers to connect with children through a range of activities, all designed to have a positive impact on learning and health
  • 50 things to do before you're 11¾: Inspiration for children under 12 from the National Trust.
Fun activities for indoors or outdoors
  • Play 'keep it up' with a balloon
  • Have a dance
  • Play catch with a bean bag
  • Plan an indoor or outdoor treasure hunt
  • Play musical statues
  • Play hide and seek
  • Read stories and sing songs that require actions in time with the words
  • Dance or jump to music
  • Make a den
  • Rough and tumble play is also fun, so only stop it if it seems unsafe. Physically active toddlers should be in a safe environment and supervised at all times.
Physical education (PE)

PE sessions will offer different sports types so listen to what your child has done each session and what they have particularly enjoyed. You can see if they would like to continue some of their favourite sports outside of school or you can find out if your school offers after school activities.  

Walking

Are you focused on getting your child to school as quickly as possible, for example by car? The walk to and from school is a simple form of exercise that can help your child (and you!) reach your 60 minutes of activity a day. Walking is a great form of exercise.

Using the community (parks and green spaces)

Try and engage with other families in your neighbourhood and find out what activities they do. This could be a useful way to gain ideas whilst giving your children opportunities to make friends. Local authority websites have parks and free activities that are available.

Find parks and green spaces in your area: Parks and open spaces | London Borough of Hounslow