Physical Activity for Children and Youth (5-17)
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (ages 5-17 years) encourages children to ‘sweat, step, sleep and sit‘ the right amounts for a healthy 24 hours. Research shows that all movement behaviours that happen over a full-day are important.
Sweat: Children and youth aged five-17 need to accumulate a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity each day.
Step: Reduce screen time and replace it with light physical activity for several hours (more than three hours) each day.
Sleep: Children aged five-13 need nine to 11 hours of sleep per night; whereas youth aged 14-17 require eight to 10 hours of sleep per night.
Sit: Reduce sedentary behaviour by limiting screen time to less than two hours per day.
Please visit CSEP for more detailed information.
Parents and family members can have a positive influence on the movement behaviours and physical activity levels of children and youth. The more families move, the more children and youth move. See further information about how to make physical activity a family priority at ParticipACTION.
Services related to this information:
811 HealthLine (Newfoundland & Labrador) – Call 811 or 1-888-709-2929 / TTY 1-888-709-3555
