Research on physical activity within the early years age group remains limited, with much of the available data predating the COVID-19 pandemic. Collecting accurate physical activity data for young children is challenging due to multiple influencing factors, such as the type of setting attended, frequency and duration of attendance, and activities outside of formal care, including evenings and weekends.
Recent findings indicate a concerning trend: children’s screen time is increasing alongside sedentary behaviours. Feedback from early years providers supports this observation, suggesting that rising screen use is negatively impacting physical activity and hands-on learning experiences. According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, children under 2 years should have no screen time, while those under 5 years should be limited to a maximum of one hour per day.
The latest report, Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity in UK Early Childhood Education and Care Settings (published November 2025), highlights that most children are not meeting the UK Government recommendation of 180 minutes of physical activity daily. The research shows excessive time spent in sedentary activities and a noticeable decline in activity levels during weekends.
We strongly encourage practitioners and families to prioritise active play and movement-based learning. Resources such as Suzy Startwell, Active Azra, 180 Katie, and Sammy Skills can support this effort. Increasing physical activity is essential to promote healthy development and counterbalance the growing prevalence of screen-based behaviours.
Key Findings from the Accelerometer Study:
The recent Accelerometer study revealed that, on average, children engage in only 22 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) while in early years settings. This falls significantly short of the Government guideline of 60 minutes of MVPA daily.
This Raises Important Questions for Practitioners:
- How do you ensure that high-intensity physical activity is incorporated into your setting’s daily routine?
- What strategies do you use to monitor and evaluate activity levels?
Expert Insight:
Professor Ruth Kipping, Public Health expert at Bristol Medical School, emphasises that “early years settings play an important role in promoting physical activity and reducing inequalities, especially as government-funded childcare expands.”
Supporting this, recent research findings show:
- Fewer than 23% of children aged 2–4 met the WHO recommendation of 180 minutes of physical activity daily.
- Only 2.4% achieved the target of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity.
- Boys were 8% more likely than girls to meet the guidelines.
This is particularly noteworthy because, across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), girls typically outperform boys. Yet, in this physical activity study, boys appear more active. Furthermore, by ages 4–5, boys are statistically more at risk of obesity than girls, making these finding even more significant.
The study also found children spend an average of 148 minutes per day in settings being physically active, which decreases by 16 minutes over weekends. Of these 148 minutes, 123 minutes were light movement, highlighting the need to increase opportunities for more vigorous activity.
Action Points for settings:
- Encourage more movement throughout the day by integrating active play and structured physical activities.
- Change your routines to support the application of more physical activity during your day.
- Access Startwell training to upskill staff
- Promote Startwell messages: How do you share messages from Startwell’s physical activity characters with the children and other staff?
- Review your environment to make sure it offers lots of movement rich activities and reduces sedentary activities.
- Engage parents: Do they understand the importance of the 180-minute daily activity guideline?
- Promote Startwell messages: How do you share messages from Startwell’s physical activity characters with families? You can share our seasonal activity ideas that can be done at home!
References:
