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Recommendations by age
| Age | Activity per day | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | at least 180 minutes, any intensity; at ages 3 and 4, at least 60 minutes of it moderate to vigorous | WHO 2019 |
| 4 to 6 | at least 180 minutes | German recommendations 2016 |
| 5 to 17 | an average of at least 60 minutes moderate to vigorous; vigorous activity and muscle- and bone-strengthening exercise on at least 3 days a week | WHO 2020 |
| 6 to 11 | 90 minutes moderate to vigorous, up to 60 of them everyday activity such as cycling or walking; strength and endurance on 2 to 3 days a week | German recommendations 2016 |
| 12 to 18 | 90 minutes moderate to vigorous, 60 of them can be everyday activity; exercise for the large muscle groups on 2 to 3 days a week | German recommendations 2016 |
As a rule of thumb: at moderate intensity you breathe faster but can still talk; at vigorous intensity you get properly out of breath.
How children in Germany are doing
Only a minority reach the recommendation: in the Robert Koch Institute’s KiGGS study (2014 to 2017), 22.4 per cent of girls and 29.4 per cent of boys aged 3 to 17 reported being active for at least 60 minutes a day. Worldwide, according to the WHO, around 80 per cent of 11- to 17-year-olds do not get enough physical activity.
Sit less, including in front of screens
The WHO and Germany’s national recommendations both advise keeping sitting time as low as possible, especially recreational screen time. The German recommendations also set upper limits: at most 30 minutes a day for 4- to 6-year-olds, 60 minutes for 6- to 11-year-olds and 120 minutes for teenagers.
How much screen time is okay for children?Fitting more movement into everyday life
- Move together: the German recommendations encourage parents to be active with their children as often as possible.
- Support the urge to move and provide play and exercise equipment, from a ball to a skipping rope.
- Make journeys active: walk or cycle to school, to practice, to friends.
- Start small: children who have been less active should build up gradually. According to the WHO, any amount of activity is better than none.
Questions and answers
Does PE at school count?
Yes. Any activity at moderate to vigorous intensity counts: PE lessons, club sports, playing outside or cycling somewhere.
Does it have to be 60 minutes in one go?
No. The WHO talks about an average across the week, and short bouts count too.
My child hardly moves – where do I start?
Small and fun: according to the German recommendations, children who move little should be introduced to more activity gradually. Activities with the whole family are a good start.
Sources
The information comes from these sources (external links):
- Chaput et al.: 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 17:141 (2020)
- WHO: guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 (24 April 2019)
- WHO fact sheet: Physical activity
- German national recommendations for physical activity and its promotion (2016), Federal Ministry of Health (German)
- Pfeifer, Rütten: physical activity recommendations for children and adolescents in practice, Bayerisches Ärzteblatt 4/2018 (PDF, German)
- Finger et al.: physical activity of children and adolescents in Germany – results from KiGGS Wave 2 and trends, Journal of Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute (2018, German)
General information, not a substitute for medical advice.