The end of October comes, the clocks change, it's dark by six in the evening and the park empties. Playtime moves indoors, weekends move to the sofa, and suddenly you find yourself wondering whether your child is moving enough.
It's a good question, and the answer is more concrete than it seems. The World Health Organization (WHO) has clear recommendations for children and teenagers, and they don't require your child to be an athlete. They require them to move every day, with some intensity, and to spend less time sitting still.
In this article you'll see what the WHO recommends, what actually counts as activity, how the minutes add up on a normal school day and where a coached session, like CrossFit Kids, fits into all of this.
What the WHO recommends for children aged 5 to 17
The current WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour were published in November 2020. For ages 5 to 17, they say three things:
| What the WHO recommends | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| At least an average of 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, mostly aerobic | Running, jumping, cycling, playing tag, swimming: things that get the heart and breathing going |
| Vigorous aerobic activities and muscle and bone strengthening activities on at least 3 days a week | Three days of real effort with strength work: jumping, climbing, pushing, pulling, lifting their own bodyweight |
| Limit sedentary time, particularly recreational screen time | Less unnecessary time sitting down, especially in front of phones, tablets and consoles |
The WHO adds two ideas worth remembering: some activity is better than none, and anyone far from the recommendations should start small and build up gradually, in frequency, intensity and duration.
Why this matters
It isn't only about weight. According to the same WHO document, in children and adolescents physical activity improves cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, cardiometabolic health, bone health, cognition (including academic performance) and mental health, and reduces body fat.
On the other hand, lots of time sitting down is linked to more body fat, poorer fitness, less social behaviour and fewer hours of sleep.
Moderate and vigorous: how do you tell the difference
You don't need a heart rate watch. There's a simple rule that works for children and adults alike, the talk test:
- Moderate intensity: your child can talk while moving, but couldn't sing any more. Brisk walking, a relaxed bike ride, kicking a ball around without much running.
- Vigorous intensity: it's hard to say more than a few words in a row. Running, playing tag for real, skipping rope, running up stairs, a football game with lots of back and forth.
Most of the 60 minutes can be moderate. What the WHO asks is that, on at least three days a week, there's also some vigorous effort.
Muscle and bone strengthening: what it means for a child
This is the part that worries parents most, and it shouldn't. Strengthening, for a child, is rarely a barbell with weights. It's anything where the body has to overcome resistance or absorb an impact:
- jumping, landing and jumping again
- climbing and hanging
- push and pull
- squatting and standing up, carrying things
- push-ups, planks and other bodyweight exercises
Jumps and impacts are what strengthen bones. Pushing, pulling and squatting are what strengthen muscles. When technique is taught and the load suits the age, strength training is safe and recommended, and we explain this calmly in the article on whether lifting weights stunts growth (the short answer is no).
The 60 minutes do not have to be in one go
The most important word in the recommendation is average. It's 60 minutes a day, on average, over the week. It doesn't have to be one hour of training in one go, and it doesn't have to be the same every day.
On a normal school day, the minutes add up faster than you think. An example, just to give you an idea:
| Time of day | Possible minutes | Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| Walking or cycling to school | 10 to 15 | Moderate |
| Break times spent running and playing | 15 to 20 | Moderate to vigorous |
| PE at school (on the days there is any) | 30 to 45 | Moderate to vigorous |
| A sports or training class in the late afternoon | 45 to 60 | Vigorous, with strength |
| Playing outside or in the park | 15 to 30 | Moderate to vigorous |
The figures are illustrative and vary from child to child. What matters is understanding that no single piece is enough on its own, and that together they get there comfortably.
The problem arises when several pieces disappear at once: school is close but you go by car, it rains and break time is indoors, it gets dark early and the park is no longer an option. That's exactly what happens between November and February, and we cover it in the article on how to keep training after the clocks change.
And screens?
The WHO asks to limit sedentary time, especially recreational screen time, but for the 5 to 17 age group it doesn't set a number of hours. There's no point making one up.
In practice, what usually works better than banning things is swapping. Instead of "one hour less on the tablet", think "one more thing they enjoy doing that gets them moving". A child who has an activity they love in the late afternoon, with friends and at a set time, naturally spends less time on the sofa.
A few simple ideas:
- screens out of the bedroom at bedtime, because sleep counts too
- active breaks during long homework sessions, even if it is just going up and down the stairs
- weekends with an outdoor plan, even a short one
- set an example: it's hard to ask for less phone time with a phone in your hand
Why so many young people don't get there
According to the WHO fact sheet on physical activity, based on a study published in 2019, 81% of adolescents aged 11 to 17 are physically inactive, meaning they don't meet the recommendations. It isn't one family's problem, it's a pattern.
And it's easy to see why. As they grow, free time shrinks, homework grows, friends move onto their phones and school sport depends on whether they like the activity. A child who doesn't connect with football or swimming may simply stop moving, because they think “it's not for me”.
That's why variety matters so much. The WHO explicitly talks about activities that are enjoyable, varied and suited to age and ability.
How to start without turning it into a chore
If your child is far from 60 minutes, do not try to get there in a week. The WHO itself says to start small and build up gradually.
- Start where they already move. If they like cycling, start there. If they like jumping, start there.
- Add one fixed thing a week, with a set day and time. Regularity does more than intensity.
- Look for a group. Children and teenagers move more when they're with others their own age.
- Measure it by enjoyment, not tiredness. If they leave in a good mood and want to come back, it's working.
- Give it time. A habit takes weeks to settle in, and motivation often shows up after you start, not before.
Where CrossFit Kids comes in
A good class for children covers in one go the two things that are hardest to guarantee on your own: vigorous effort and muscle and bone strengthening, with technique taught by a coach and other children around.
At Revolution, the programmes for younger people are split by age, so that each stage gets the training that suits it:
| Programme | Ages | The focus |
|---|---|---|
| CrossFit Kids | 5 to 8 years | Moving the body through play: running, jumping, forward rolls, games and basic technique |
| CF Preteens | 9 to 12 years | The bridge between play and training: progressive technique, gymnastics, teamwork |
| CF Teens | 13 to 16 years old | Structured training: strength, conditioning and community |
A class doesn't replace the playground, the bike or the park. It adds to them. And it's often what gives a child who “doesn't like sport” a way of moving where there's no game to win and nothing they need to know how to do from the start. If you want to know more about what changes in the child, the benefits of CrossFit Kids are explained in a separate article.
Questions parents ask
Is one class a week enough?
On its own, it doesn't reach the 60 minutes a day, and it isn't meant to. But it is one of the three days of vigorous and strength activity the WHO asks for, and it gives the week a fixed anchor. Two classes a week, plus what they already do at school and outdoors, gets most children very close to the recommendation.
My son already plays football. Does he need anything else?
Maybe they don't need more minutes, but they can benefit from something else. Many team sports work the aerobic side well and strength, mobility and general coordination less so. Varied training complements, it doesn't compete.
What if they don't like any sport?
It's more common than you'd think, and it often means they haven't found what they enjoy yet. In a small group, with no picking teams and exercises that change every day, lots of kids discover they actually like moving.
From what age can they start?
At Revolution, the programmes start at 5 years old and go up to 16. Before signing up, the trial class is there precisely to help you see whether it's the right time.
The first class is free
The best way to know if it's right for your child is for them to try it. The first class is free and requires no experience at all: the coaches adapt everything to each child's age and starting point.
See the days and times of the Kids, Preteens and Teens classes on the timetable, the plans on prices, or talk to us through contacts and we'll book the first class together. You can also find out more about the programme on the CrossFit Kids page.
