Getting Active

Government Guidelines suggest that children should be active for at least 60 minutes each day. This should include exercise to help them develop natural muscle and bone growth as well as aerobic and cardiovascular health. The Growing Well Growing Healthy App helps you track your activity as a family and hit your movement goals.

Increasing activity can include:
• Walking part or all the way to and from school.
• Playing out.
• Gardening, tidying or doing other household chores.
• Swimming
• Dancing, football or any other sport.

For young people, being active is key. Ensuring that children engage in physical activity they enjoy is vitally important. Children who enjoy what they take part in are likely to make friends, become socially competent, happier and are much more likely to stick at it or engage in other activities. Playing out in safe areas, joining a club or taking walks will help ensure children are healthier and happier as they grow up.

It’s OK to have rules! To ensure children get sufficient activity, it is OK to make rules which gets them active before they log on to their favourite games. Helping around the house, walking to school and spending time face to face with friends all count towards getting necessary exercise in. Making a plan between you and your children around screen time can give them ownership of the exercises and social times they would like to make.