Active children

Overview
Resources
Resources

Tips for parents, family/whānau and caregivers on the kinds of physical activity children need to be healthy.

Both children and adults need to be physically active and eat healthily to live well. Check out the tips below and discover more about how to make sure your children exercise right so they can grow well.

Get active daily

Daily physical exercise will keep your child healthy. Children should do a minimum of an hour of mild to intense physical activity every day. Try for plenty of mild exercises and some intense physical activities. This will help them to:

Grow healthy, strong bones, muscles, and joints.
Increase flexibility and balance.
Grow and sustain healthy lungs and heart.
Keep a healthy weight.
Make friends and enjoy themselves.
Develop good self-esteem.

Mild exercise

Children will be breathing more quickly and their heart rates will be a little bit faster. A good indicator of a mild level of exercise would be that your child can still talk with you whilst exercising. Try these suggestions:

walking the dog
bike ride in the park
swimming in the pool
playing on the playground
dancing
Kapa haka
surfing, bodyboarding, or skim boarding at the beach
skateboarding.

Harder exercise

Children will be puffed and their heart rates will be faster than during mild exercise (above).

A good indicator of a hard level of exercise would be that your child will only be able to say a couple of words to you and then will need to take a breath. Try these suggestions:

running games such as bull rush or tag
hiking
swimming laps at the pool
soccer, rugby
playing touch rugby with friends, family/whanau
Waka ama.

Image: NZStory Toolkit

Encourage physical exercise

Provide chances for your children to be physically active every day, with play, cultural events, dance, sports, creative games around the house, household chores, and when travelling (e.g. riding a bike to school, walking to a friends, scooting or skateboarding to the dairy).
Try a range of activities to discover the ones that your child likes most. Encourage your child in every activity and offer positive feedback.
Engage in physical activity as a family and let every family member have a turn in choosing an activity to try.

Turn technology off

Try to limit your child's ʻscreen timeʼ (TV, mobile phone, video games, movies) to under 2 hours a day. Try to inspire children to be active in a range of ways and as much as possible.

Be a role model

Your children look up to you, if you're physically active every day, this will most likely rub off on your children and make them more active too.

If you're ever unsure – consult your:

GP, practice nurse, public health nurse.
Nearest District Health Board and request a dietitian or Public Health Service.
Māori/Pacifica health workers and/or marae-based health services.

Learn more

Physical activities for under 5's NZ Ministry of Health
Activities for children and young people NZ Ministry of Health
Games for kids Health Promotion Agency
Developing fundamental movement skills for children Sport NZ
Play, sport and physical activity for young people Sport NZ
Activity and Nutrition Aotearoa

References

Food and nutrition guidelines for healthy children and young people (aged 2–18 years) – a background paper. Ministry of Health NZ, partially revised 2015
Active movement activity guides for children 0-5 years Sport NZ, 2015

Page last updated: 06 Aug 2022

	Active movement activity guides for children from 0-5 years
	Active movement – an introduction Sport NZ, 2008. How to encourage your children to become active. English Te reo Māori
	Developing hands and fingers Sport NZ, 2008. Why developing hands and fingers is important for children. Includes fun activities for newborns and infants, toddlers and young children. English Te reo Māori
	Developing self-esteem through active movement Sport NZ, 2008. Why your child’s self esteem is important and includes fun activities for newborns and infants, toddlers and young children.
	Walking, running and jumping Sport NZ, 2009. Research shows that allowing your child to walk in their own time is important. This brochure includes fun activities for toddlers and young children when they are walking, running and jumping. English Te Reo Māori
	Developing language through active movement Sport NZ, 2008. Quality physical movement can improve language development. This brochure includes fun activities for newborns and infants, toddlers and young children. English Te reo Māori
	Upper body development – climbing, hanging, and swinging Sport NZ, 2008. Information on the development of strong muscles in the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Includes fun activities for newborns and infants, toddlers and young children. English Te reo Māori
	Tummy time, rolling, and crawling Sport NZ, 2008. These movements are a vital part of your children's development. English Te reo Māori
	Balance –swinging, spinning, and rocking Sport NZ, 2008. Movement such as swinging, spinning and rocking helps develop your child's sense of balance. English Te reo Māori
	Catching, throwing, and kicking Sport NZ, 2008. Why playing with a ball or moving object is important. English Te reo Māori
	Using the environment Sport NZ, 2008. This brochure explains that using the environment is important. English Te reo Māori
	Sit less, move more, sleep well – active play guidelines for under-fives – Owhaowha (infants) 3-12 months Ministry of Health, NZ, 2018 English Te reo Māori
	Sit less, move more, sleep well – active play guidelines for under-fives – Tamaiti pūhou (babies) 0-3 months Ministry of Health NZ, 2018 English Te reo Māori
	Sit less, move more, sleep well – active play guidelines for under-fives – Tamaiti (pre-school) 3-4 years Ministry of Health NZ, 2018 English Te reo Māori
	Sit less, move more, sleep well – active play guidelines for under-fives – Tamaiti nohinohi (toddlers) 1-2 years Ministry of Health NZ, 2018 English Te reo Māori
	The importance of play Sports NZ, 2017