Physical Activity Guidelines for Kids from 5 to 11

Click here to find physical activity guidelines for kids aged 0 to 4. 

For health benefits, children aged 5-11 years should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.

This should include:

• Vigorous-intensity activities at least 3 days per week.
• Activities that strengthen muscle and bone at least 3 days per week.
• More daily physical activity provides greater health benefits.

What does this mean?

Children aged 5-11 years are encouraged to participate in a variety of physical activities that are enjoyable and safe. Aerobic activities are those that involve large muscle groups for long periods of time. Aerobic activity is also sometimes called “endurance activity” and will help to improve cardio-respiratory fitness. Some examples are brisk walking, running, swimming and bicycling. Children should accumulate this activity over and above the activities of daily living, such as getting ready for school and doing the dishes. These guidelines may be appropriate for children with a disability or medical condition; however, parents should consult a health professional to understand the types and amounts of physical activity appropriate for these children.

Let’s talk intensity

Moderate-intensity physical activities will cause children to sweat a little and to breathe harder. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being an absolute maximum effort and 0 being completely at rest), moderate activities are about a 5 or 6. While doing moderate-intensity activity children should still be able to talk, but not sing along to their favourite song. Vigorous-intensity physical activities will cause children to sweat and be out of breath. On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being an absolute maximum effort and 0 being completely at rest), vigorous activities are about a 7 or 8. While doing vigorous activity children shouldn’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Children aged 5-11 years should participate in vigorous activity at least 3 days per week.

Moving muscles and building bones

Children need activities that help to increase their muscular and bone strength. Parents and caregivers should plan to have their child participate in resistance or impact activities at least 3 days a week to get their muscles and bones working. Muscle-strengthening activities are those that increase skeletal muscle strength, power, endurance and mass. Examples of activities that make muscles stronger include games such as tug of war, modified push-ups (with knees on the floor), resistance exercises using body weight or resistance bands, rope or tree climbing and swinging on playground equipment/bars. Bone-strengthening activities produce an impact or tension force on the bones that promotes bone growth and strength. Hopping, skipping, jumping rope, running and sports such as gymnastics, basketball, volleyball and tennis are examples of bone-strengthening activities.

The benefits of moving more are astounding

Increasing physical activity has many benefits! Science has shown that when children increase their daily physical activity, they decrease their chances of developing many diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes and are generally healthier and happier. Take a look at many of these astonishing health benefits.

What activities can my child do to meet the Guidelines?

Children are encouraged to take part in a wide variety of activities that are fun and get their bodies moving and their hearts pumping. Try to mix it up with plenty of different activities that your children enjoy. Getting active together sets a great example for your children and places a high value on the benefits of physical activity that accumulate through life.