Helping all children get 60 minutes of physical activity every day

Experts recommend at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity for children. Physical activity provides important benefits for children, such as reducing the risk of obesity, building strong bones and muscles, and improving academic performance. Research has found a benefit of more than $32 for every $1 invested in school-based physical activity and physical education (PE) programs, such as reduced healthcare costs and increased labor participation.

Despite these findings, there are no federal requirements for school-based PE or physical activity and few states require a minimum weekly amount of time spent in PE or physical activity. The most recent federal survey found that only about 24 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 meet the guideline recommended by experts for 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

COVID-19 Context

Months of school closures have prevented many students from engaging in the regular activity they would get during recess and physical education class. Many communities also closed public parks or limited facility use in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But being active may help reduce one’s risk for COVID-19 or reduce the strength of symptoms if one does become sick.

With schools in many states at least beginning the 2020-21 school year in remote learning, school-based opportunities for physical activity will be limited in the near term. However, schools will likely try to include movement breaks during any virtual lessons, and even short physical activity breaks can have benefits.