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Childhood inactivity is one of the biggest challenges facing parents, schools and health professionals today. Around 80% of children worldwide fail to meet the World Health Organization’s guideline of at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day. Combine that with long hours in school chairs, more time spent in front of screens and easy access to processed foods, the risks of childhood obesity and poor health begin to multiply. For us as fitness professionals delivering children’s fitness courses, we’re in a unique position to make a real difference. Our mission is to create engaging programmes that children actually want to stick with.
The most effective approaches don’t just tell kids to “move more”. They create motivation, build family and school involvement, and help children find enjoyable alternatives to endless screen time. Let’s look at three of the strategies supported by research.
Telling a child to exercise is rarely enough. They may do it once, but unless the experience taps into something deeper, they quickly drift away. This is where Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2022) comes in. It suggests that children are more likely to continue being active when three psychological needs are met. These include autonomy (a sense of choice), competence (feeling capable), and relatedness (feeling connected to others).
The systematic review by Muñoz-Urtubia et al. (2025) found that interventions which strengthened these areas, particularly by involving parents, peers and teachers, produced meaningful reductions in BMI z-scores of typically between −0.17 and −0.35. These shifts might sound small, but they are clinically significant for reducing future cardiometabolic risk.
For those of us working with children, the application is straightforward but powerful. Build choice into activities by letting kids pick between two or three games. Celebrate small wins like improved skipping rope skills or quicker shuttle runs to build a sense of competence. Finally, put children into pairs or small groups to encourage teamwork and peer support. By creating an environment that feels enjoyable and socially rewarding, motivation becomes internal and children are far more likely to continue moving long after the session ends.
Research consistently shows that programmes are more effective when schools and families work together. A trial in China (Liu et al., 2022) that combined school PE sessions with family involvement and app-based follow-up produced significant improvements in weight status and lifestyle behaviours. Similarly, Diao et al. (2020) demonstrated that multi-component programmes reduced BMI while also improving quality of life. The systematic review confirms that integrating school and home leads to stronger outcomes than focusing on one environment alone.
A practical model for fitness professionals and teachers could be a 12-week blended programme. The first four weeks might focus on movement literacy where we teach basic motor skills in PE, while children keep simple activity logs at home. Weeks five to eight could add fun fitness games at school, supported by family weekend challenges such as walks, cycling, or football in the park. The final stage, weeks nine to twelve, could build in self-monitoring strategies such as sticker charts or family competitions, alongside light use of apps or wearables.
Even within this relatively short period, improvements in body composition have been recorded. For example, Comeras-Chueca et al. (2022) found that a five-week programme including HIIT and strength training reduced body fat percentage in preteens. These results highlight that with structured, engaging activity, real change is possible in a relatively short timeframe.
Excessive screen time is one of the strongest contributors to sedentary lifestyles in children. Global data shows that long hours on devices are associated with higher BMI, increased risk of metabolic disease, and poorer mental health outcomes. A systematic review by Tremblay et al. (2011) found that keeping screen time below two hours per day produced measurable improvements in health outcomes for school-aged children.
Yet simply banning screens is unrealistic. The studies suggest that successful interventions focus on practical swaps and incentives. Active video games, for example, were shown to raise daily energy expenditure while also improving motor skills in children with overweight (Comeras-Chueca et al., 2022). We can suggest using short “movement breaks” every 30 minutes of homework, reframing screen rewards as active play rewards, or encouraging parents to use active apps like dance or interactive sports games.
It’s also important to present the benefits in ways that resonate with parents. Positioning screen-time reduction as a tool for improving sleep quality, focus at school and emotional wellbeing often feels more tangible than talking solely about obesity risk. Parents are more likely to get on board when they see immediate benefits in their child’s mood, attention span and behaviour.
Helping children move more and develop healthier habits is not about single interventions. The research shows that meaningful change happens when motivation is prioritised, families and schools are engaged, and screen time is managed with realistic strategies. Even modest improvements in BMI and body fat percentage can have lasting effects on future health, and those improvements are more likely when children feel supported, capable and excited to be active.
For us as fitness professionals, this means designing programmes that combine evidence-based behavioural science with practical, playful activities. By doing so, we not only support healthier weight outcomes but also instil a love of movement that carries through adolescence and adulthood.
If you’re looking to make a real difference in young people’s health, our Exercise for Children course is designed for you. Childhood inactivity is at an all-time high, with around 80% of children worldwide failing to achieve the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Research also shows that well-structured programmes can bring clinically meaningful changes, with BMI reductions of up to 0.35 in just weeks to months. This course equips you with the knowledge and practical skills to deliver safe, engaging and effective exercise sessions for children aged 5–16. By combining evidence-based training strategies with fun, motivating activities, you’ll not only help kids build healthier bodies but also instil positive habits that last a lifetime.
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