Physical activity guidelines for children and young people

Physical activity supports your child’s healthy growth and development. Learn how much activity children need and find programs to help them get more active.

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The benefits of physical activity

Young children (0 to 5 years), children and young people (5 to 17 years) need physical activity to be healthy and thrive.

When children sit less and move more, the benefits of physical activity can last a lifetime. 

It supports physical health

Play and movement that gets their heart pumping helps your child to:

  • develop a healthy heart and lungs 
  • maintain a healthy weight 
  • be at lower risk of developing some health conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as adults 
  • form habits that will help them live a longer, healthier life. 
It promotes healthy growth and development

Physical activity is important for the development of your child’s: 

  • bones, joints and muscles 
  • coordination and strength flexibility, balance and posture 
  • self-esteem and confidence 
  • mental and emotional wellbeing 
  • brain connections needed for concentration and learning. 
It helps children build social skills

Participating in physical activity with others helps your child develop the skills to make friends, follow directions, and cooperate. Physical activity can be a fun way to spend time together with family and friends.

How much physical activity to aim for

The amount of physical activity your child needs depends on their age.

The Australian Government Physical activity and exercise guidelines can help you understand how much, what type and at what intensity of physical activity to do at every age. They also include ways to encourage your child to be more active.

Always supervise your child when they are physically active. 

For infants (birth to 12 months)

To help support your baby’s growth and development you can: 

  • Start tummy time soon after birth (make sure they are supervised). Aim for 1 to 2 minutes a day in the first few weeks, while they are awake. Build up to 30 minutes or more throughout the day
  • Encourage tummy time and playing on the floor – such as sitting with your baby to play games and letting them move around. Like rolling, crawling and pulling up to stand when they’re ready
  • Get them to reach for and grasp things (once they’re ready, and there are no choking hazards in reach)
  • Avoid restraining them in a car seat or pram for more than 1 hour at a time
For toddlers (1 to 2 years)

Toddlers love moving and exploring. The guidelines recommend toddlers get plenty of active play each day, including: 

  • At least 3 hours of physical play across the day, including energetic play such as running, jumping, skipping or dancing
  • Limit time spent sitting or lying down - and less than 1 hour at a time spent in a stroller, car seat or highchair
For preschoolers (3 to 5 years)

Preschoolers also benefit from getting as much active play as possible, including: 

  • At least 3 hours of activity across the day, including 1 hour of energetic play such as dancing, skipping, throwing or running
  • Letting them play and explore outdoors with supervision
  • Limited time spent sitting or lying down – and less than 1 hour at a time spent in a stroller, car seat or highchair
  • Limiting screen time to under an hour per day, less is better. 

Learn more about the Australian Government Physical activity guidelines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers (birth to 5 years) 

For children and young people (5 to 17 years)

To help support health, better mood and improved focus, children and young people should: 

  • Do at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity – this means activity that makes the heart beat faster and builds strength. More is better. This can be in small bursts of activity spread out during the day
  • Include high-intensity activities at least 3 days per week – such as team sports, bike riding, swimming, boxing or dancing
  • Do activities that strengthen muscles at least 3 days per week – such as climbing, lifting weights, or exercises that use body weight (like push-ups, squats, sit ups and yoga)
  • Be active for several hours per day doing light activities – such as helping with housework or walking to school
  • Break up long periods of sitting with small bursts of movement every so often.  

Learn more about the Australian Government Physical activity guidelines for children and young people (5 to 17 years). 

Physical activity for children with disability

Being physically active has many benefits for children and young people with disability. These include:

  • more social relationships by trying new group or modified activities
  • greater independence and quality of life
  • improved anxiety and depression symptoms  
  • stronger muscles
  • lower risk of chronic conditions.

A range of information, programs and services are available to help children with disability, and their carers and families to get more physically active.

Some helpful resources include:

  • Sport NSW – online exercise programs for people with disability

Talk to your doctor, physiotherapist or accredited exercise physiologist for advice on physical activity appropriate for your child’s needs, abilities, medications, overall treatment plan and preferences.  

Tips for helping families get more physical activity

Small changes can make a big difference to your child’s health and wellbeing.

Build habits slowly

Taking a gradual approach makes it easier for your child to develop healthy habits that last.

Learn more about getting started with physical activity.

Add more movement into the daily routine
  • Swap 30 minutes of screen time for walking the dog, kicking a ball, or playing hide and seek. 
  • Skip a TV show and go for a family walk after school or dinner. 
  • Put on their favourite music and dance around the house.

Learn more about creating healthy habits. 

Expert tips to support children’s wellbeing

Watch the video below for expert tips from psychologist Daniel Angus from the Mental Health Commission of NSW, on ways to support wellbeing in children. 

Learn more about the benefits of physical activity for mental health. 

1:38

Healthy habits for your child’s wellbeing

Dr Daniel Angus, Psychologist and Deputy Commissioner Mental Health Commission shares expert tips on how healthy habits can help support your child’s wellbeing.

Read transcript
Video transcript

Healthy habits for your child’s wellbeing

[Dr Daniel Angus]

If you want your child to experience good wellbeing, you can't ignore their physical and mental health.

Wellbeing is about physical and mental health together. Physical and mental health are inextricably linked. So what happens in our bodies impacts our minds and what happens in our minds impacts our bodies.

The foundations here at a young age are so critical and I think parents have such an important role to play.

So here are some tips, here are some things that you can do for good wellbeing.

Eating well, finding right foods, healthy foods.
Being active, whether that be going for bush walks, dancing, hikes, or just playing sport.
Being in green spaces.

Now, those things are so critical in contributing to somebody's wellbeing.

You know, connect with them, listen to them, be present. You can help find little moments in the day to slow down to connect with your kids. That might be over a healthy meal at dinner time, that might be going on a walk when you're walking the dog.

Being interested in what they're doing, encouraging your child to pursue things that they love, things that they're good at.

You have all the ingredients that you need to set your child up for life.

Building good habits is something that all of us can do, and that is what good physical and mental health wellbeing is about. It's about investing in our kids' minds and bodies.

Limit screen time

The amount of time your child spends on screens can also affect their health and development. 

Learn more about healthy screen time. 

Get free health coaching with Go4Fun Online

Go4Fun Online is a free 10-week healthy lifestyle program for NSW primary school-aged children and their families. 

Learn more about Go4Fun Online

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