Physical activity for preschoolers: why children need more movement and less sitting

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), children aged one to four should be physically active for at least 180 minutes a day, that is three hours spread across the whole day. For three- and four-year-olds, at least 60 minutes of that should be activity that leaves them out of breath. A preschooler should not spend more than an hour a day in front of a screen. They should not be strapped into a buggy or car seat for more than an hour at a time. Physical activity matters at this age because it builds the body, sleep, attention and self-confidence all at once.

Three hours may seem a lot. But the walk to kindergarten, a game of chase at the playground, dancing in the living room and climbing over the sofa all count. In this article you will find the exact recommendations by age and an ordinary day with three hours of movement. You will also find how to tell if your child is not moving enough, and which games fit even into a small flat.

WHO recommendations by age

In 2019 the WHO published its first guidelines for children under five that combine physical activity, sitting and sleep into one whole. They describe what the whole day should look like, including the time a child sits or sleeps.

For time spent sitting, the WHO recommends reading and storytelling with an adult rather than screens. For five- and six-year-olds, the recommendations for older children apply. According to these, they should average at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day.

What counts as physical activity

For a preschooler, physical activity does not have to be training. Anything where your child is not sitting or lying down counts. To picture it better, you can sort activities by how out of breath your child gets:

Preschoolers move in short bursts: half a minute of sprinting, a moment standing still, another jump. This is completely natural and there is no need to expect a three-year-old to run for ten minutes non-stop. Just give them space and they will put the bursts together themselves.

Why physical activity matters so much in the preschool years

Body and health

Running, jumping and climbing strengthen bones, muscles and the heart. Your child builds balance and coordination that they will later need on a bike, on skis and when writing. The WHO points out that early childhood is when healthy habits are easiest to set up within the family. People carry these habits on into school and adulthood. According to the WHO, enough activity and sleep also help prevent childhood obesity.

Sleep

A child who has run about to their heart’s content during the day usually falls asleep more easily and sleeps more soundly. Parents know this from summer, after a whole day outdoors at a country cottage. The WHO does not assess activity and sleep separately, because they belong to the same day and affect each other. More about sleep is in Does my child have to nap at kindergarten?

Brain and concentration

When your child jumps over puddles, they have to judge the distance, decide and stop in time. In games with rules, such as “Red light, green light” or “Musical statues”, they practise listening to instructions and controlling impulses. These are exactly the skills they will need at school, when they have to sit still and concentrate. A preschooler who has had a good run in the morning usually manages a short task at the table better than one who has sat all morning. More about what your child needs before school is in School readiness skills: what your child should manage before starting school.

Feelings

For a small child, movement is a natural way to release tension. If your child is irritable after kindergarten, half an hour at the playground often helps more than a talk. More tips are in My child is grumpy after kindergarten.

Self-confidence and friends

Climbing to the top of the climbing frame or walking along a balance beam without help for the first time is a big achievement for a three-year-old. In games together, your child also learns to take turns, lose, help a friend and agree on rules.

Sitting and screens: where the limit is

The WHO distinguishes two kinds of sitting. Sitting with a book, a puzzle or drawing with an adult is good for a child’s development. Passive sitting in front of a screen and long periods strapped into a buggy or car seat should be limited. Children aged two to four should spend no more than an hour a day in front of a screen. Less is better. For children under two, the WHO does not recommend screens at all.

In practice, these rules help:

• Do not give screens a fixed place in the day (for example “always after lunch”), so they do not become a habit.
• At meals and for an hour before bed, the television and tablet stay off.
• If your child is watching something, watch together and talk about it.
• For a long car journey, pack an audio story instead of a tablet and plan stops to run about.

What a day with three hours of movement looks like

This is what an ordinary weekday can look like for a three-year-old who goes to kindergarten. The times are a rough guide:

Altogether this adds up to about three hours, without your child going to a single club. The table also shows how much two things matter. The first is whether the children at kindergarten go outside every day, and the second is how your child gets home.

Signs your child is not moving enough

• They cannot fall asleep in the evening, even though they are clearly tired.
• They are restless, find it hard to concentrate and fidget a lot just when they need to sit.
• They tire quickly when walking or want to be carried, even though they are too big for it.
• They often trip, have trouble with balance or are more afraid of climbing and jumping than other children their age.
• As soon as they get home, they ask for the tablet or television.

None of these signs means anything on its own. If you see several at once, though, try adding more movement for two weeks and watch whether anything changes. If you are worried about your child’s motor skills, talk to your paediatrician.

Seven steps to add movement to an ordinary day

1. Walk short distances. Even ten minutes’ walk to the shop counts.
2. Go home from kindergarten via the playground. Fifteen minutes on the climbing frames is the best way for your child to move from kindergarten to home.
3. Let your child carry and help. They can carry a light shopping bag, cushions when tidying up or a watering can for the plants.
4. Have a dance song. One song before dinner or after the bath is enough, the same one every day.
5. Start the weekend outdoors. A morning walk sets up the whole day better than an afternoon in front of the television.
6. Move with them. Children copy their parents. When they see you enjoy moving, they want to join in.
7. Do not use exercise as a punishment. Running and exercise should be fun, so do not say “as a punishment you’re going outside”.

Eight indoor games for when you cannot go out

1. Obstacle course: cushions to jump over, a chair to crawl under, a rope on the floor to walk along as a “balance beam”.
2. Animals: hop like a rabbit, slither like a snake, walk on all fours like a bear, stand on one leg like a stork.
3. Musical statues: dance to music, and when you stop it, everyone freezes.
4. Keep the balloon up: a blown-up balloon must not touch the floor.
5. Treasure hunt: hide toys around the flat and your child looks for them on all fours.
6. Movement dice: the dice has pictures on it (jump, squat, spin) and your child does whatever comes up.
7. Basketball: throw a soft ball or rolled-up socks into a basket from different distances.
8. Yoga for children: tree, cat and dog poses. It helps your child calm down before bed.

A little risk is part of movement

At the playground many parents automatically call out “careful, you’ll fall”. It is natural, but a child also learns movement by testing where their limits are. When they find out for themselves that they can still jump from the third rung but not from the fourth, they learn to judge risk better than if someone kept stopping them. Safety still comes first, so think about suitable clothing, a helmet on a bike or scooter, supervision near water and a playground suited to their age.

Instead of “careful”, try sentences that help your child think: “Where will you put your foot?”, “Are you holding on tight?”, “How will you get down?” Your child keeps their courage and learns to be careful at the same time.

Bad weather is no reason to stay in

In Scandinavia people say there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. For a preschooler, that largely holds true here too. A child in waterproof trousers and wellies usually enjoys rain and puddles more than a sunny day. In winter, dressing in layers, gloves on a string and shorter but more frequent spells outside all help. If there is a hard frost, a gale or smog, move the activity indoors.

Organised sport: when and which

A preschooler does not need training or competition. They need to try as many kinds of movement as possible: running, jumping, throwing, swimming, climbing, riding a scooter or bike. At this age variety is worth more than performance in one sport. Organised activities are a good extra if they meet these conditions:

• your child looks forward to them and is not exhausted or sad afterwards,
• the coach talks to the children playfully and does not shout at them,
• the group is small and the children spend most of the time moving rather than queuing,
• there is no pressure on performance, ranking or competition.

A club once a week does not replace daily movement. The three hours a day come mostly from an ordinary day: the journey, the playground and free play.

How we do it at Sovička

At Sovička your child will go outside every day. Our kindergartens in Kramáre and Vrakuňa have a playground, and the Vrakuňa kindergarten is in a family house by the Malý Dunaj river. Your child will be on the move both playing outdoors and in movement games in the classroom. What their whole day looks like is described on our Daily routine page.

We take part in the Rozhýb labky project, a nature and movement programme run by the DAPHNE Institute of Applied Ecology. The project links movement with learning about nature and ten habitats of the Natura 2000 network. Your child moves and at the same time discovers where the animals of our country live. You will find our other projects on our Projects page.

If your child wants to do more sport, they can join sports blocks for an extra fee:

You will find the current offer and details on our Activities and sports blocks page. We often combine movement with experiences and discovery, which we write about in Learning through experience.

If you would like to see where your child will be active with us, book a visit at a quiet time, when the kindergarten is not busy, and see the classroom and the garden for yourself.