Be active with the whole family — indoors and outdoors.
Teach your child to love being active — so she stays active as she grows!
Children need 60 minutes of active time every day.
Adults need at least 30 minutes, most days.
Increase how much active time your family gets as part of every day life. Screen time is not active time!
What is Greenlight?
In the first months and years of life, your child is forming habits that can last a lifetime. Greenlight can help your child get off to a good start. The Greenlight topic booklets, such as this one, give you more information to help your child grow healthy and strong.
What do the traffic lights mean?
The traffic lights in this booklet will tell you what is healthy for you and your family and what is not.
Green means “GO!”
These things are healthy for you and your family.
Yellow means “CAREFUL!”
These things may not be healthy for you and your family.
Red means “STOP!”
Do not do these things with your family.
Active time is important for the whole family.
Children will want to be more active when they can do fun, active things with their family.
For young children, learning to be active with their family will help them make this part of their routine as they get older.
There are many things you can do to help your family be active. This booklet will give you ideas for how to move more.
Be active with the family — how to get started.
You can do a lot to make sure your whole family — even your baby — stays physically active and strong!
How can I start being active with my family?
y Start with small changes that are easy to fit into your life.
y Start with just 10 minutes a day. You can be active for longer each week.
y Do activities with your children. Ask them what active things they want to do.
y Work with your family to come up with a plan of what you will do and when.
• Instead of saying you will exercise more, make a specific plan. For example, plan to go to the park 3 times a week.
y Find out what there is to do in your neighborhood — at parks and community centers.
GO! Try these outdoor activities.
There are many things you can do to be active as a family outside.
When you are outside you can:
y Go for a walk in the neighborhood.
y Find a place where your child can run around. Run with him. Play tag.
y Go to the park. Bring along a ball to throw or kick.
y Go to a playground.
y Go for a bike ride.
y Jump rope.
y Teach your child to swim.
y Go for a hike in the woods.
y Play sports:
• Kick a soccer ball.
• Dribble a basketball.
• Hit a soft ball.
Try to be active outside — even when it is raining or snowing.
Make being active outside a part of what your family does every day — even when it is cold or raining.
y When it is cold out, your child should wear a warm jacket, hat and gloves.
y If it is raining, have your child put on a jacket and boots or take an umbrella.
Your child will not get sick from going out in cold or wet weather.
When you can’t head outside, be active with your family inside. GO!
Try these indoor activities.
When you are inside you can:
y Put on the music — and dance!
y Do exercises — like stretching, sit-ups, push-ups, or squats.
y Take turns following the leader — hopping, jumping, or climbing the stairs.
y Lift “weights” — you can use things you have in the house like bags of rice, bottles of water, or cans of food!
• Be careful not to drop them!
Fun ways to be active with your baby.
Even before your baby can walk, there are many ways you can be active with your new baby.
Tummy Time Play:
y It is better for your baby to practice tummy time on the floor than on something soft like a bed.
y Put your baby on his tummy on the floor. Put a toy like a soft ball, rattle, or baby mirror in front of him to look at.
y Go down to the floor and play with him, try peek-aboo (Where’s the baby?).
y While he is on his tummy, you can also do exercises on the floor. Try push-ups!
Sitting Time Play:
y While he is sitting up, roll a soft ball to him and clap when he tries to roll it back. He may clap too!
y Do sit-ups while facing him. Say “hi” to him every time you look in his eyes. He will love the game.
Crawling Time Play:
y As he gets older, your baby will be able to move around on the floor more.
y Get on the floor with your baby.
• Give him a soft ball to roll. Then get the ball and roll it back.
• Put a toy in front of him to get him to crawl. Pretend to race him to get the toy!
Music Time Play:
y Put on your favorite music and dance.
y It is great exercise for you and your baby will start to move to the music too!
y You can start dancing even when they are young. Hold her hand and bounce to the music.
How much active time do we need?
Children need more active time than adults do. Try to be active every day for at least the amount shown below. Then see if you and your family can do more!
ADULT
30 minUTES or more
An adult should get a total of 30 minutes or more of physical activity most days.
You don’t have to do all 30 or 60 minutes at one time. You can do short amounts of activity across your day.
CHILD
60 minUTES or more
A child should get a total of 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day.
GO! Find everyday ways to be active!
Fit active time into everyday family activities.
Try these ideas:
y Push your child in a stroller on a fast walk. Or have your child push the stroller. You can also leave the stroller home and let your child walk with you.
y Walk instead of taking the bus. Get off the bus or train one stop early and walk the rest of the way.
y If you drive, park farther away. Count with your child the number of steps from the car to where you want to go. See if you can park even farther away next time.
y Take the stairs instead of a ramp, escalator, or elevator.
STOP! Screen time is not active time.
Too much screen time can cause you and your family to gain too much weight.
The time that you and your family spend watching screens is time that you spend not being active.
When you and your family are watching screens, you are usually sitting down in one place without moving a lot.
