Exercise for Children

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How Much Exercise Is Enough?

Parents need to ensure that their kids get enough exercise. So, how much is enough? All kids 2 years and older should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most, preferably all, days of the week.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) offers expanded activity guidelines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers:

Age Minimum Daily Activity Comments

Infant No specific requirements Physical activity should encourage motor development

Toddler 1½ hours 30 minutes planned physical activity AND 60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)

Preschooler 2 hours 60 minutes planned physical activity AND 60 minutes unstructured physical activity (free play)

School age 1 hour or more Break up into bouts of 15 minutes or more

Infants and young children should not be inactive for prolonged periods of time — no more than 1 hour unless they're sleeping. And school-age children should not be inactive for periods longer than 2 hours.

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