Physical activity and exercise for children

Key facts

Physical activity is important for your child's growth, development and health.
Encourage your child to be active and spend time in active play.
Toddlers and preschool-aged children should be active for at least 3 hours a day, while school-aged children and teenagers should be active for at least an hour each day.
It is important to limit screen time because this is time when your child is not moving.
Being active as a family will encourage your child to be more active.

What are the benefits of physical activity for my children?

Physical activity is essential for your child's healthy growth and development. It is good for their body and minds.

Infants and children need daily physical activity because it:

builds strong muscles, joints and bones
improves their coordination, balance and flexibility
helps them reach and keep a healthy weight
increases their confidence, happiness and social skills
helps them learn better at school

Physical activity also leads to a healthy heart. It can help prevent overweight and obesity (Opens in new tab) and lower your child's risk of heart disease (Opens in new tab), stroke (Opens in new tab), type 2 diabetes (Opens in new tab) and some cancers (Opens in new tab) later in life.

What type of exercise should my child do?

For young children, the best type of exercise is unstructured active play spread throughout the day. This includes child-led activities that are fun and encourage movement, exploration and play. Babies can play on the floor and have tummy time.

For toddlers aged 1 to 2 years, try:

walking
running or jumping
twirling
skipping
dancing

For preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years, you can encourage:

kicking and throwing balls
riding a bike
obstacle courses at the park
using playground equipment

When your child reaches school age, they may do more structured exercise and sports, such as football, netball, swimming, dancing or yoga. They can also be active by walking to school or doing household tasks.

Many children find sport fun. They learn new physical skills, enjoy playing in a team, and learn how to win and lose.

What if my child does not like sport?

Not all children enjoy or have the physical skills needed for certain sports. Support your child by encouraging them to practise and overcome difficulties.

It is OK if your child does not like sport. Help them find a physical activity they enjoy.

Your child may like to walk your dog, or a neighbour's dog, or enjoy raking up leaves in the garden. There are lots of ways to get your child to be active that do not involve sport.

How much activity do my children need?

This depends on how old your child is. The Australian guidelines (Opens in new tab) recommend the following:

From birth to one year, babies should have some physical activity, especially supervised floor play in a safe environment. At least 30 minutes of tummy time, spread through the day, is recommended for babies who are not yet mobile. While awake, infants should not be strapped in or kept inactive for more than an hour.
Toddlers and children aged 1 to 5 years should be physically active for at least 3 hours a day. Children under 2 years of age should not have screen time where they are just sitting still. For children aged 2 years, no more than 1 hour of sedentary (staying still) screen time is advised. Sedentary activities should include reading, singing, puzzles and storytelling with a caregiver.
Children aged 5 to 17 years should do at least 1 hour of moderate- or high-energy activities every day. They should participate in activities that strengthen their muscles and bones at least 3 days a week. Breaking up long periods of sitting is important. Discuss limits on screen time with children and young adults.

Find out more about the physical activity guidelines for:

How much screen time is OK?

When your child is using screens, they are missing out on time they could be active.

It is recommended that children under 2 should not watch television or use electronic devices at all.

For older children, limit the time spent watching television and playing on computers, tablets or other electronic devices to:

1 hour a day for children aged 2 to 5 years
2 hours a day for children aged 5 to 17 years

What can I do to get my children to be more active?

Tips on how to get your child to be more active:

Be physically active (Opens in new tab) yourself. You are an important role model for your child.
Encourage children to explore and play outdoors, alone or with friends. If you do not have a backyard, find a public outdoor space you all enjoy, like a park or beach.
Get children to help with household tasks, such as hanging up washing or weeding the garden.
Walk (Opens in new tab) or ride a bike to school and on errands, rather than driving.
Exercise with your child and plan activities where you can be active as a family.
Choose active toys and games as birthday presents for your child, such as skipping ropes and balls.

Resources and support

Check out Sydney Children's Hospitals Network for tips on encouraging your child to be active (Opens in new tab).
The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing provides Physical activity guidelines by age for:
infants, toddlers and preschoolers (Opens in new tab) (birth to 5 years)
children and young people (Opens in new tab) (5 to 17 years)

Languages other than English

The Australian Government Get Up & Grow program has information about healthy eating and physical activity (Opens in new tab) for young children in many languages.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

You can find more information about children's physical activity for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples on the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.