The Active Healthy Kids Canada report card gives Canada an “F” for physical activity levels, stating that only 12% of children and youth meet the guidelines of 90 minutes of physical activity a day.  The report includes the following recommendations for increasing physical activity in the early years:

•  Policy-makers should invest in active living for children under five; ensure child care policies mandate daily physical activity and adequately resource staff; target caregivers with incentives and messaging to get kids active and be active with them.
• Public health & healthcare professionals should promote physical activity, active play, and reduced screen time as part of early years support programs for families.
• Parents should keep TVs out of bedrooms, institute screen time limits, and create opportunities for active outdoor play for kids and as a family.
• Early childhood educators & schools should train and resource staff; offer a minimum of 90 minutes of daily active play time, indoors and outdoors, structured and unstructured.

Check out the full report by clicking on the link below:

 2010 Kids Report Card (1.1 MB)