Get active

21 Mar 2025

Get active

Being active is essential for children's growth and lifelong healthy habits.

Excessive screen time can impact health and development. Encourage kids to engage in physical activity and other offline activities.

Learn about daily activity recommendations, reducing sedentary time, and ensuring enough sleep.

Being active

For children and young people, being active every day has many social, emotional, intellectual and health benefits, including:

a chance to have fun with friends and family
reduced antisocial behaviour
stronger cooperation and teamwork skills
better self-esteem and confidence
lower anxiety and stress
better concentration

healthy growth and development
strong muscles and bones
improved fitness, including coordination and movement skills
lower risk of disease
lower risk of unhealthy weight gain.

All children and young people should get the right mix of physical activity, inactivity and sleep in each 24-hour period.

Limiting time sitting

Limiting the time spent sitting or lying down (sedentary behaviour) – especially in front of screens – helps children grow and develop good habits for life.

Long periods of sitting can lessen the benefits of being physically active. So, it’s important to break these up as often as possible.

Screen time during childhood can have long-term impacts on a child’s development. For children and young people, health experts recommend no more than 2-hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day. This does not include screen time needed for school work.

Turn off screens & Get Active

Set a limit on the amount of time children watch television or spend on devices. Experts recommend limiting screen time to a maximum of 2-hours a day. Too much screen time limits physical activity.

On the weekend, live life instead of watching it on TV. Find a new place to hike, bike or run. When you hear “I’m bored” think of something active to do.

During the winter months, avoid allowing children to watch too much TV or play video games. Encourage active play, which builds social, mental and physical motor skills.

Why reduce television time?

Studies have shown we use less energy watching TV than sitting still
TV influences the food choice of kids – Australia has a high rate of food advertising during children’s viewing hours
TV replaces time a child can be active and enjoy physical activity
There is an association between TV watching and being overweight
40% of children 5 – 12 years report watching an average of 2-hours or more of television or videos a day

Screen-free things to do

Limit your child’s screen time to no more than 1- to 2-hours a day. This includes television, games consoles, and smart devices. Offer alternatives to watching TV, until new, healthy habits are created. Some alternatives are:

listen to music
go to the park
draw a picture
play cards
ride a bike
read a book
make a family photo collage
write a letter
make friendship bracelets
do a jigsaw
put together a terrarium
tie dye a t-shirt

play with a pet
do a crossword
learn a magic trick
learn to juggle
make a scrap book
origami
make decoupage
do a riddle scavenger hunt
start a collection
write a song
do a random act of kindness
climb a tree

plant some seedlings
learn to knit or crochet
play a board game
create footpath art with chalk
build a cubby house
have a dance party!
have a karaoke competition
bake a cake
learn solitaire
put on a play
wash the car
play charades

Encourage good sleep

Getting enough good-quality sleep is essential to healthy growth. It's recommended that each night:

children aged 5 to 13 years get 9 to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep
young people aged 14 to 17 years get 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

To establish and maintain healthy sleep patterns:

having a consistent bedtime and wake-up time
avoiding screen time 1-hour before sleep
keeping screens out of the bedroom.

Visit raisingchildren.net.au

Learn more

For more information about activity recommendations for children and young people, see:

Factsheet: 24-hour movement guidelines

Read about how much activity children and young people should do each day, how sitting time and screen time should be limited, and how much sleep they should get.

Brochure: 24-hour movement guidelines

This brochure includes guidance, including tips and ideas, for children and young people on - physical activity, inactivity, sleep.

Make your move – sit less, be active for life

This booklet outlines the physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines, and provides ideas on what you and your children can do to be active every day.