Australia, Belgium (see the poster below), Canada (see this video), Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and South Africa have drawn up guidelines for the youngest target group. In addition, the WHO published a guideline for children under the age of 5 in April 2019. These guidelines are very similar and provide a good picture of how much children in this age group need to move to be and remain healthy. At present, these guidelines also provide direction and inspiration for the Netherlands.

Sitting still

All these countries indicate that prolonged sitting still is not desirable for children. Children should not sit still for more than 1 hour at a time. This can be achieved, for example, by allowing children to move around between periods of sitting. It is also a good idea to place children as little as possible in chairs or seats that restrict their freedom of movement. Sometimes this is of course necessary, for example in the car, but it is better to limit it to a minimum.

Screen time

All countries, with the exception of the United Kingdom, make a recommendation regarding the amount of time children spend in front of screens (computer, tablet, phone, etc.). It is recommended that children under the age of 2 have no screen time. Children over the age of 2 should spend a maximum of 1 hour per day in front of a screen. Germany is even stricter in this regard: no screen time for children up to the age of 4 and a maximum of half an hour per day for children aged 4–6.

Physical activity for children under 1 year old

According to the guidelines of the WHO, Belgium, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark and South Africa, children under 1 year old should be physically active several times a day in an active and varied way. Playing on the floor in particular should be encouraged, and children should have enough free and safe space to move around. The WHO, Australia, Canada and South Africa also state that children who cannot yet walk should spend at least 30 minutes per day (under supervision) lying on their stomachs, in order to develop properly. Germany states that children from birth to 3 years old should move as much as possible and be restricted as little as possible in their natural instinct to move.

Physical activity for children over 1 year old

The movement guidelines of all countries indicate that children over 1 year old should engage in active movement for at least 3 hours per day, but more is even better! The activities should be spread throughout the day and varied. Children aged 3–5 should spend 1 of those 3 hours being very active or moving intensively.

Sleep

Some guidelines, such as those of the WHO, Canada and Australia, have drawn up a 24-hour guideline for children up to the age of 4. These guidelines address sitting and physical activity, as described above, but sleep also plays an important role. When children sleep well and get enough sleep, they have more energy and are more inclined to move. The guidelines state that children aged 0–3 months should sleep 14–17 hours per day, and children aged 4–11 months should sleep 12–16 hours per day. This includes the naps children take during the day.

Children aged 1 and 2 should sleep 11–14 hours per day (including naps), and children aged 3 and 4 should sleep 10–13 hours per day (this may include naps). For children aged 1–4, it also applies that they should sleep and wake up at consistent times.

The Knowledge Centre for Sport provides a schematic overview of what the international guidelines state about physical activity, sitting, screen time and sleep. View the table “movement guidelines for ages 0–4 – what do guidelines from other countries say? (PDF).

How can you encourage more and varied physical activity?

Most guidelines also describe tips on how to get children to move more and in a more varied way. For example, it is good to ensure that children move in varied ways by using different forms of movement, changing environments, varying surfaces and playing different games. It is also very important that children primarily enjoy being active and that activities are adapted to their age and abilities. This helps them keep going for longer! In addition, provide enough challenge and interaction, and let children play both indoors and outdoors. You can find more concrete tips for physical activity for babies, toddlers and preschoolers through the physical activity tips from Huis voor beweging.

Development of Dutch movement guidelines for ages 0–4

In 2017, the new Dutch movement guidelines were published, indicating how much physical activity you need each day for good health. These guidelines focus on the target groups aged 4–18 and adults and older people. No movement guidelines have yet been developed for the 0–4 age group, due to a lack of (sufficient and high-quality) scientific research. Yet there is considerable demand for them in practice!

That is why the Knowledge Centre for Sport is now working with partners from the scientific and practical fields to develop a Dutch guideline. This will give parents and professionals guidance on how much and in what way physical activity should be encouraged to support good motor development and growth.

Read more about playful movement in the Netherlands