What are the physical activity recommendations for children?

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Being physically active is good for kids’ health, and creates opportunities for making new friends and developing physical and social skills. These Guidelines are for all children aged 5-12 years who have started school, irrespective of cultural background, gender or ability.

For health benefits, children aged 5–12 years should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity every day.
Children’s physical activity should include a variety of aerobic activities, including some vigorous intensity activity.
On at least three days per week, children should engage in activities that strengthen muscle and bone.
To achieve additional health benefits, children should engage in more activity, up to several hours per day.

To reduce health risks, children aged 5-12 years should minimise the time they spend being sedentary every day. To achieve this:

Limit use of electronic media for entertainment (e.g. television, seated electronic games and computer use) to no more than two hours a day – lower levels are associated with reduced health risks.
Break up long periods of sitting as often as possible.

Being physically active every day is important for the healthy growth and development of infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers. These recommendations are for all infants aged 0-5 years who have not yet started school, irrespective of cultural background, gender or ability.

For health development in infants (birth to one year) physical activity in particularly supervised floor-based play in safe environments should be encouraged from birth.
Toddlers (1 to 3 years) and pre-schoolers (3 to 5 years) should be physically active every day for at least three hours, spread throughout the day.

Children younger than 2 years of age should not spend any time watching television or using other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games).
For children 2 to 5 years of age, sitting and watching television and the use of other electronic media (DVDs, computer and other electronic games) should be limited to less than one hour per day.
Infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers (all children from birth to 5 years) should not be sedentary, restrained, or kept inactive for more than one hour at a time, with the exception of sleeping.

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