Family Guide

to
to Physical
Physical Activity
Activity
for
for Children
Children (6-9 years of age)
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS FUN!
At home At school At play Inside or outside
On the way to and from school With family and friends
Making physical activity a part of the day is fun and healthy. Encouraging
kids to build physical activity into their daily routine helps to create
a pattern that may stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Getting Started
This booklet is for all those who have children in their lives: parents, caregivers, guardians, grandparents, foster
parents, etc.

Raising healthy children

Over half of Canadas children are not active enough for healthy growth and development. Health
professionals are concerned and think it is important to teach children about physical activity and
their health and to encourage them to do more.
Additional evidence suggests that a lack of physical activity is dangerous to their health and can
be a major contributor to weight gain and obesity. From 1981 to 1996, the prevalence of obesity
tripled among boys and girls.

A partnership for health

The Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, provincial
partners and key children and youth organizations have worked together to produce a set of Guide
support resources to help get children and youth moving.
These resources have been developed to help you
and your children understand the importance of
physical activity and how it affects the body.
The resources include:
this booklet for families and caregivers
a Gotta Move Magazine for Children
a Teachers Guide

These have all been designed to help increase physical

activity in children up to the age of 9. There is a similar set
of materials for youth age 10 to 14.
We need your support at home.
We are encouraging families, caregivers, teachers,
health care providers and community leaders to
reinforce each other in these efforts to increase physical
activity among Canadas children.

Take positive action now and

lower the risks.
Today, most children know about
Canadas Food Guide to Healthy
Eating, understand that smoking
is bad for them, and take an
active interest in the environment.
Its time to attach the same
importance to physical activity.
The health of your child depends
on it.

The goal is to get Canadas children

moving more.

How do I do that? you might ask. You can do it by

communicating with them about the importance of
physical activity, how it affects their health and how
to get started in increasing the amount of physical activity they do.

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

CALL TO ACTION

for families, educators, physicians and community leaders

Canadas Guidelines for Increasing Physical Activity in Children
1. Increase the time currently spent on physical activity starting with 30 minutes
more per day.
2. Reduce non-active time spent on TV, video, computer games and surfing
the Internet, starting with 30 minutes less per day.
You need to encourage children to build up their physical activity throughout the day.
The 30 minutes more of physical activity can be accumulated in bouts as short as
5 or 10 minutes.
This increase in physical activity should include:
* Moderate activities like brisk
walking, skating, biking, swimming
and playing outdoors

** Vigorous activities like running

and soccer

Heres how it works!

Build up physical activity throughout the day in periods of at
least 5 to 10 minutes
Daily increase
in moderate*
physical
activity (Minutes)

Daily increase
in vigorous**
physical
activity (Minutes)

Total Daily
increase
in physical
activity (Minutes)

Daily
decrease
in non-active
time (Minutes)

Month 1

at least 20

+ 10

= 30

30

Month 2

at least 30

+ 15

= 45

45

Month 3

at least 40

+ 20

= 60

60

Month 4

at least 50

+ 25

= 75

75

Month 5

at least 60

+ 30

= 90

90

Congratulations! Daily active time is part of a healthy lifestyle.

Note: Children who are already quite active should record all their moderate and vigorous
activities for a few days. They can total up the minutes, then progress gradually from
there until they reach at least 90 minutes of daily physical activity.

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

THE GOAL
Increase childrens physical activity every month until they are doing at least 90
minutes more per day. Congratulate them every step of the way. Put a progress
chart such as the Physical Activity Chart on the refrigerator or your bulletin
board! Talk about the goals and accomplishments during family time or when
doing other activities with the children.
You can do it! Make physical activity a lifestyle choice for the whole family and build it into
the daily routine.

Physical activity can be fun for the whole family

Physical activity can be fun for you and your children. If your children prefer not to be active,
this is a problem, but there are things that you can do to change their behaviours.
Kids love computers, video games and television.
While these activities can be educational and
contribute to mental development, children need
physical activity for healthy physical growth and
development.

Raising healthy children requires an

investment in physical activity.

While participation in sports is encouraged, children need to know that sports are not the
only way to stay active. Not all children enjoy competition. For those who dont, physical
activity alternatives such as hiking, household chores, cycling, walking and others are
essential.
As a family member, you can work with your children to encourage healthy behaviours by
setting some physical activity ground rules. Encourage your children to play outside and try
to be an active role model yourself. Usually, active parents will have active kids. Its important
to start physical activity early as inactive kids may become inactive adults. Tie rewards to
physical activity goals so much
physical activity and then you can
If your children are not active, talk to a physical
have so much TV or computer time or
activity counsellor at your local recreation
better still, reward them with physical
centre or Y or to a physical education teacher
activity opportunities. It works.
at your childs school or to your family doctor
about how to get them active.
Keeping children active:
Builds strong bones and strengthens
muscles
Maintains flexibility
Maintains and achieves a healthy weight
Promotes good posture and balance
Improves fitness

Strengthens the heart

Improves physical self-esteem
Increases relaxation
Enhances healthy growth and
development
Helps them meet new friends

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

Ways to Change Behaviour

Research shows that the following five steps work together to change behaviour and establish new lifestyles.

1
2

3
4
5

Develop Awareness: Involve children in the process. They will be far more motivated if
they play a part in the decision-making process. Help them become aware of how much
activity they do now and how inactive they may be. This is essential to the next step.
Set Goals: Goal-setting helps children
check their own progress. If you have more
than one child, it might be helpful to set a
goal to which they all can contribute.
Encourage small steps. Strive for the goal,
check the results to find out what is
working and what is not working, revise
the goal and try again.
Give Feedback and Praise: Talk about
what the child did to be active everyday
and praise and reward small steps.
Get Children to Agree to the Plan: Talk
often about physical activity goals with
the whole family to encourage the
children to do what they said they would do.

Try the section Physical Activity is

Fun in the Gotta Move Magazine
with your child.

Post a copy of the Physical Activity

Chart on the fridge. Work with the
children to establish some realistic
goals. Use the stickers to chart
progress. Reward their good efforts!

Reward and Recognize Change: Reinforce new behaviour and celebrate successes
through rewards and recognition.

Here are some ways to offer encouragement...

Talk about physical activity as an important part of staying healthy

Read the material in the Gotta Move Magazine with your children and then discuss it
Encourage your children to try new physical activities and be patient as they learn
Ask them what physical activities they like to do
Build physical activity into your childs daily routine
Be a role model by being physically active yourself
Be physically active with your child
Post the Physical Activity Chart on the refrigerator and encourage
your child to use the stickers to show what he or she has done
during the day
Praise your childrens physical activities. Building their confidence
is critical to success
Encourage them to participate in sports and physical activities in
school and in the community
Enrol children in community physical activity programs
When your child asks for a ride somewhere, suggest that they walk,
run or bike instead

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

Here are some things you can do together...

Walk children to school

Go for a walk after supper and set some family goals that you can record
Put on some music and dance with your children
Take the dog for a walk and let the children help
Ask the children to help you carry in the groceries
Go to the neighbourhood playground and help your children to climb and swing
Play hide and seek
Teach children the skills they need to be active like jumping rope, throwing and hitting
a ball, kicking a ball, running, dancing, skating, etc.
Teach children to ride bicycles and then ride with them
Borrow some basic equipment such as balls and bats, frisbees, bikes, in-line skates,
ice skates and toboggans, and teach them how to use them
Go on a treasure hunt
Have the children help with snow clearing and make a snow sculpture
Go skating, skiing or swimming with your children
Let the children help you rake the leaves and make a game of it

Here are some things you can do to encourage and support physical activity in your
community...

Encourage neighbourhood outdoor games

Be a coach or organizer of physical activities in your community
Advocate for more physical activity programs and facilities in schools and communities
Advocate for increased child safety in neighbourhoods, playgrounds and parks and on
the roads.

Safety matters
When children are trying new activities and becoming more active, encourage them to be
careful. Be sure they wear the appropriate protective equipment - for example, a helmet
when cycling. For vigorous sports activities, get them to concentrate on
learning the skills first then gradually increase the intensity.

Use the information in this Family Guide together with the

Gotta Move Magazine to find out what your children like to
do. If you start with something they like, it will be easier to
keep them motivated. You can complete the Physical
Activity and Your Body section in the Magazine with
your children to explore more of their interests.

Read on and find examples of what other families like

you have done to use these steps to encourage their
children to be more active.

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

Heres how some families have tried to get started

on the road to better health
Single Parent Decides to Get Active with Her Kids
Susan is a single parent who works full-time. By the time she gets home from work and
makes supper she is really tired. She has two children, Josef and Maria, ages 6 and 9, who
spend most evenings watching TV or playing video games.
One day, Susan was watching a program on child health after the children went to bed. She
learned that children need more physical activity than they are getting for healthy growth and
development. She sighed, What can I do?
She decided to talk to a physical activity counsellor at her local recreation centre. The
counsellor suggested some activities for her to try with her children and gave her a copy of
Canadas Physical Activity Guide for Children, the Physical Activity Chart and the Family Guide.
That weekend, she talked to Josef and Maria about them all becoming more active. They
made a plan to do something together everyday. Some days they would walk, some days
they would go for a swim at the recreation centre, some days they would stay home and
dance to some favourite music or even work together to clean the apartment! Maria was
less active than Josef and she wanted to take small steps. Susan agreed because she did
not know how much energy she had either.
The children decided to use the Physical Activity Chart and put it on the fridge. They
committed to do one activity a day as a family, but the children were free to do other things
on their own and these would also count on the schedule.
Every day at supper theyd talk about what they had done and they would put stickers
on the Physical Activity Chart for each activity. If they didnt do much one day, they would
promise to do more the next. After a month, Susan had more energy and she and the
children were spending far less time in front of the TV. When they added up their activities
on the Physical Activity Chart, they had indeed increased their physical activities
by a total of 30 minutes a day, sometimes by doing it in short bouts
of 5 to 10 minutes. They were pleased and set the goals for the
second month.

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

New Canadians Get Active with their Children

Fariba and Achmed are new Canadians. They have moved to a new country with very
different customs than the ones they left behind. Their children, Tariq and Sari, immediately
became fascinated by television and video games and barely went outside except to go
to school.
The parents were concerned. They knew that more physical activity was essential to their
childrens health, but it was an ongoing battle to get their children, ages 6 and 8, to go
outside to play.
One day, Tariq came home with an assignment from school which gave the parents an
opportunity to get involved. The task was to add up all the physical activity done by the
family. The teacher had given them the Physical Activity Chart to record their information.
Fariba and Achmed sat down with the children and went through Canadas Physical Activity
Guide for Children with them. They talked about increasing their physical activity by at least
30 minutes a day and reducing their TV/computer time by at least 30 minutes a day. The
children were surprised at how little physical activity they were actually doing.
The parents asked the children how they could increase their physical
activity time and promised to do some activities with them as well. Each
night, before bed, the children would review
their day and fill out the Physical Activity
Chart that the teacher had given Tariq. The
children and the parents were allowed to
count each 5 to 10 minute period of physical
activity during the day. By walking to the
mall instead of taking the bus, using the
stairs instead of the elevator, going
for a family walk or romp in the park
after supper, playing ball and doing
yard work like raking the leaves, the
whole familys activity levels quickly climbed. Now they
just have to keep it up!
After a month, the whole family had increased their
physical activities by 30 minutes a day and they set a
new goal.

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

Children Get Their Parents Off the Couch

Kassi and Jamie are eight-year-old twins. They do everything together. One day after school
they came bouncing in the door and said, Mom and Dad, this family needs to stop watching
TV and start doing stuff thats active. Our teacher says its not healthy to sit around.
Their parents, Sharon and Bill, looked at each other. They thought Kassi and Jamie were
active kids, but now the children were convinced that they had to do more. Kassi pulled out
a copy of Canadas Physical Activity Guide for Children from her knapsack and handed it to
her parents to read.
When their parents finished reading they said, So, what are we going to do? We need a
plan, said Kassi. A family plan, echoed Jamie. If we want to be healthy, we need to be
activeall of us.
OK, said Dad, What do you think we should do? The children couldnt think of any ideas.
Dad suggested that they talk to a physical activity counsellor at the local Y. The counsellor
sat down with them and helped them come up with a good list of activities and develop a
general plan. They thought of a family swim once a week, summer and winter, skating in the
winter, family bike riding during the other seasons, and walks in the park. They also listed
family soccer, playing catch, and yard work. The twins loved to help their dad out in the
garden, especially pushing the wheelbarrow.
They decided on a plan to get started and wrote it down. Next they put the Physical Activity
Chart on the refrigerator and used the stickers to record what they had done for at least 10
minutes each day.
After following the plan for a couple of weeks, the family talked and looked at Canadas
Physical Activity Guide for Children again. They noticed that it emphasized strength and
flexibility activities as well as games and aerobic activities, so they set some new goals.
Sharon and Bill both work full-time so they had a busy life. They were lucky
though, because Sharons company had a small fitness centre offering
classes, and the plant where Bill worked was next door to the Y.
They thought they could put their lunch hours to good use and do
some activity then. This way it wouldnt interfere with their family
time with the twins. Sharon signed up for a yoga class and Bill
had a weight-training program set up for him that he could do
three times a week. He was really happy about this because he
enjoyed working out when he was younger but had let it go
since the twins were born.
They thought about strength and flexibility activities for
the twins and realized that with all their activity on the
playground at school climbing and swinging and jumping
that they were getting lots of that already. The twins walked
to school regularly, too.

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

Building New Habits

Janine was overweight and tired all the time. Her
guardians, Mel and Jack had taken her to the doctor on
many occasions and the doctor had told them that she
must become more active. They had tried all sorts of ideas
to help Janine, but nothing had worked. The only thing
she wanted to do was to watch TV and read.
They lived in a townhouse complex and there were
lots of kids around that she could play with, but she
hardly ever went outside. When she did, the other
kids called her names and teased her.
She was only seven years old, but even climbing the
stairs at home made her huff and puff. The family was desperate.
One day, they saw an interesting poster at the shopping centre.
A new class was starting to help overweight kids become physically
active. Janines guardians were determined to take her. Maybe if she
could be with others like her, she would try.
On the day the program started, they all went. They made sure she had running shoes and
comfortable clothes so that she could participate easily. At first she was reluctant to try
anything, but as the other kids got involved so did she. The program included a class three
days a week. The coach gave Janines guardians some ideas for activities to do with her on
the days she did not come to class, such as walking to school, walking to the mall, walking
to the park, limiting time in front of the TV, and playing in the yard with her.
It took several weeks, but eventually Janine started to enjoy the program. Jack and Mel
noticed that she was more willing to walk and do chores around home. Little by little Janine
increased her activity level and recorded her progress on the Physical Activity Chart. Her
guardians are proud of her and give her regular encouragement. She is now starting to add
vigorous activity to her program, a bit at a time.
And, much to everyones delight, she seems
happier, has more energy, and she has
made some new friends.

10

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

Dad Was the Hockey Coach But

Jean-Pierre was an active guy who liked to play hockey and swim and ride his bike. He also
coached little league hockey. His wife, Suzanne, read a lot and was very inactive. They both
worked full-time and were often tired by the end of the day. Their children, Louise and Sylvain,
didnt much care for physical activity. Louise liked to read and Sylvain loved his video games.
Jean-Pierre wanted the kids to play hockey, but they couldnt skate very well and said they
didnt want to do any sports. Jean-Pierre was sure the children needed to be more active. He
also wanted his wife to be more active and hoped she might use her lunch hours for this.
One day, he talked to another coach about the problem. The coach told him about Canadas
Physical Activity Guide for Children and said they all needed to increase their physical activity
levels by at least 30 minutes a day. Jean-Pierre called the Public Health Agency of Canadas
1-888 number and ordered Canadas Physical Activity Guides, one for children and one for
adults, and he also ordered the Family Guide and the Gotta Move Magazine for Children.
When the materials arrived, Jean-Pierre called a family meeting. He told the children and
Suzanne that he wanted everyone to get more physically active. He said it is not healthy
to sit around all the time. The body needs to move! The family agreed to give it a try.
Jean-Pierre posted Canadas Physical Activity Guide for Children on the fridge. The family
agreed theyd do one activity together every day and record what they did.
They had an ambitious plan. Some days the family would skate so the kids could improve
their skating skills. Other days they would play in the park after supper, go for a walk, play ball,
walk to Grammas house, or go swimming at the local pool, and on the weekends
they would do chores and shop for groceries. Suzanne would start going for a fast walk on
her lunch hours, too. This was a real challenge for everyone
except Jean-Pierre.
After two weeks, Jean-Pierre called another
meeting. They had already missed several
days of activities for a variety of reasons. They
said theyd try and do better. Jean-Pierre had
to keep prodding to get his children and his
wife to be more active, but eventually it
worked. Now the family makes physical
activity a part of their daily routine. They
review their activities often and set new
goals for themselves on a regular basis.
Louise and Sylvain have both joined the
hockey league, which makes Jean-Pierre very
proud of them. And, most amazing, Suzanne is
taking a beginner hockey-coaching course!

Family Guide to Physical Activity For Children

11

Endorsers
The following organizations have endorsed Canadas Physical Activity Guide for Children
and the support resources.
Active & Safe Routes to School
Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a
Disability
Arthritis Society
Assembly of First Nations
Association of Local Public Health Agencies
Block Parent Program of Canada
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine
Canadian Association for Health,
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Canadian Association for the Advancement of
Women & Sport & Physical Activity
Canadian Association for Young Children
Canadian Association of Principals
Canadian Child Care Federation
Canadian Council on Social Development
Canadian Diabetes Association
Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research
Institute
Canadian Home and School Federation
Canadian Institute of Child Health
Canadian Intramural Recreation Association
Canadian Lung Association
Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Mental Health Association
Canadian Nurses Association
Canadian Paediatric Society
Canadian Parks and Recreation Association
Canadian Physiotherapy Association
Canadian Psychiatric Association
Canadian Psychological Association
Canadian Public Health Association
Canadian School Boards Association
Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology
Canadian Special Olympics
Canadian Teachers Federation
Childrens Safety Association of Canada
Child Welfare League of Canada
Coalition for Active Living
College of Family Physicians of Canada
Dietitians of Canada
Family Service Canada

Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Girl Guides of Canada Guides du Canada
Go for Green
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Lifesaving Society
National Crime Prevention Centre
National Institute of Nutrition
Osteoporosis Society of Canada
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada
Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada
Safe Kids Canada
Scouts Canada
United Way of Canada
Victoria Order of Nurses for Canada
Vanier Institute of the Family
YMCA Canada
YWCA Canada
Provincial Childrens Hospitals:
Alberta Childrens Hospital
Childrens & Womens Health Centre
of British Columbia
Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Hospital for Sick Children
IWK Health Centre
Janeway Childrens Hospital
Montreal Childrens Hospital
Stollery Childrens Hospital
Winnipeg Childrens Hospital
Distributed by...

Active bodies need energy

For more information:

Follow Canadas Food Guide to Healthy

Eating to make wise food choices.

Call 1-888-334-9769 or visit the website at

www.paguide.com
Please use this Family Guide with additional
Guide support resources.

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2002

Cat. H39-646/2002-1E ISBN 0-662-32894-9