Discover how often you and your child already move. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover that you are already part of the way towards the goal.

• Standing and preparing a meal in your kitchen counts as movement.

• Taking out the trash counts as movement. Walking to the store counts as movement.

• Stretching your body and being playful with your child count as movement.

• Walks to the grocery store counts as movement

Pay attention to how much you and your child already move. You will have more success if you and your child learn how to move more together.

In the objectives that follow, you’ll find some ideas about how you can get your child to move just a little bit more.

If you and your child are sitting or lying a lot, break it up and move your body!

Your child can move more, even if they’re not doing a movement activity!

Examples:

• Break up your child’s screen time. Make them move every fifteen minutes, or once in a while.

• Replace recreational screen time for educational or interactive screen-based activities, such as socializing via videoconference or Face Time. These screen based activities provide more stimulation to the brain and provide the body with just a little bit more movement.

• Reduce screen time, and replace it with non-screen-based interactive behaviors. For example, use sedentary time for reading, singing, doing puzzles, or socializing.

Reduce sitting and lying down

Too much sitting is not healthy, even if your child does move about at other times of the day. Add movement to the day.

Example for young children:

• Reduce the amount of time spent sitting in a stroller or car seat. Restrained sitting time in a stroller or car seat should be less than one hour per day. If sitting in the car seat or stroller takes longer than one hour, break up the trip and make sure your child has some time to move about.

Example for school-aged children:

• Break up prolonged sitting at school and during homework by having regular movement breaks.

• Reduce recreational screen time to two hours per day maximum.

Use screen time activities that promote movement

• Use screen time to increase movement, such as dancing to a You Tube video, or playing interactive sports using a screen (e.g. Wii).

Increase how often your child exercises

Increase movement for young children

Your young child should spend at least three hours in a variety of physical activities each day. You’ll be surprised to discover how many times per day your child could be moving. Running about the house or doing a short walk with you count as movement. Notice how much time your child is moving today, and add a little bit more movement to the day. Your young child should spend at least 60 minutes each day in energetic play. More is better!

Increase mild exercise for school-aged children

Every day, your school-aged child should do 2 hours of light or moderate movement. Walking is a good example. Your child can move by walking instead of taking the bus, using the stairs instead of the elevator, or socializing outside while walking instead of socializing indoors in a sedentary activity. Figure out how much movement your child does now. Then, add a little bit more. Help your chid get to two hours per day. It does not have to occur all at once. A bunch of 15-minute activities can add up to 2 hours quickly enough.

Increase moderate to high levels of exercise

Every day your school-aged child should spend at least 60 minutes per day doing vigorous exercise. The exercise should make your child’s heart beat faster. Your child can do short bursts several times per day if preferred, as long as it adds up to sixty minutes. Figure out how often your child gets out of breath when moving. Then, make each episode last a bit longer. Or, do more episodes per week.

Three times per week, your school-aged child should do vigorous activities to help strengthen bones and muscles.

Increase the variety of exercise

Have a mixture of light, moderate, and vigorous movement activities each day.

Light activities.

Leisurely walking, such as walking your dog or tossing a ball back and forth. Do some leisurely walking whenever you can. Walk to school with your child, Or encourage your child to get off the bus earlier and meet them for a walk home from school.

Moderate activities.

Figure out how often your child does moderate movements each day. Then, add a little bit more. It should add up to about one or two hours per day. You could do errands while walking with your child, instead of taking the car. You could do small errands several times per week instead of doing them all on the same day. Bicycle riding, using a scooter, using a skateboard, or distance walking at a moderate pace all count as moderate activities.

Vigorous activities.

Vigorous activities build muscle strength and bones. Basketball, soccer, netball, lap swimming, skipping and running are good examples. Your child could also do yoga, jumping, push-ups, sit-ups, or lifting weights. Anything that raises your child’s hear rate is a good start. the Boys and Girls club, the YMCA, or other community centers can offer lots of chances for movement.

Figure out how often your child does vigorous movement each week. Then, add a little bit more so that it adds up to about one hour per day.