The 60-minutes-a-day target
UK Chief Medical Officer guidance: children aged 5–18 should do at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day. About a third of UK primary children currently hit it.
The good news: "moderate-to-vigorous" includes ordinary play. Running in the park counts. Walking briskly to school counts. Dancing in the kitchen counts.
Three small habits get most children to 60 minutes.
1. Walk or scoot to school
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If you live within a mile of school and currently drive, walking instead is the single best change you can make.
The benefits are stacked: 20–30 minutes of activity, fresh air, time to talk, less traffic outside the school gate, and (the studies show) better readiness to learn when they arrive.
Many UK schools now run a "Daily Mile" — every child walks or jogs around the playground for 15 minutes a day. If your school doesn't, you can do the equivalent on the way home.
2. The "active half-hour after school"
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Children come home tired but full of pent-up energy. Don't fight it.
Make the half-hour right after school an active one BEFORE screens or homework. Park, garden, dance in the living room, scooter, bike — whatever fits.
This protects sleep, helps homework focus, and trains the brain that movement is the default response to feeling tired.
"I'm rubbish at PE."
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If your child says this — and many do — what you say next matters.
What NOT to say:
"You're right, you take after me — I was rubbish too."
"It doesn't matter, you're good at maths."
"Just try harder."
What WORKS:
"Which bits feel hard? Let's practise those at home."
"Were you the same at running last year? No — you got better. Same with this."
"Being good at sport isn't why we do PE. Being active is."
One thing to remember: KS1 PE is about building the lifelong habit of being active, not about producing athletes. Your job is to keep the door open — to running, dancing, climbing, swimming, whatever they enjoy. The skill comes with the hours.
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