The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that children and teens should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity on most—and preferably all—days of the week. It's OK to accumulate this amount in short time periods throughout the day. Activities can include:

• Walking,
• Biking,
• Swimming,
• Playing outdoors,
• Running,
• Soccer,
• Basketball, and
• Doing active chores like vacuuming sweeping and raking.

Even young children can stay active by kicking a ball or jumping like a frog!

Activity Ideas

The choices you make as a family can help children develop healthy physical activity habits. Lead by example. Make exercise a family affair and focus on fitness for the fun of it!

Here are some easy ways to help your children become more physically active:

• Take the dog for a walk together.
• Grab safety gear and let your child teach you some basic skateboarding moves.
• Shoot hoops, toss a football or play tennis in the driveway. Focus on enjoyment, not competition.
• Put some music on and dance around the living room.
• Play hide-and-seek instead of watching TV.
• Check out a yoga or kickboxing tape from the library and give it a try.
• Go to the park and play tag.