Physical Activity
Pre-schoolers should spend at least 180 minutes (3 hours) per day in a variety of physical activities which are spread throughout the day. Physical activity should include active and outdoor play and out of the 180 minutes of activity, at least 60 minutes should be at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity. More activity is better!
For ideas and activities to help your child be active, please view the resources below.
Let's Get Moving Resources
Let's Get Moving - Pre-Schoolers (PDF, 295 Kb)
Healthy Eating
Click on the image to visit the Change4Life website.
- Encourage the family to eat meals together at the table to enjoy a variety of foods.
- Encourage a healthy breakfast to provide the best start to the day.
- Limit foods high in fat and sugar as these provide energy but they have few nutrients.
- The best drinks for children are water and milk.
- Children do not need salt adding to foods.
- All children over the age of one should have 10 micrograms of vitamin D, especially during autumn and winter.
For more healthy eating tips, please click the image on the right.
Oral Health
- Children over 3 years of age need to use a pea size amount of toothpaste which contains more than 1000ppm fluoride.
- You should continue to brush and supervise your child's tooth brushing until they are 7 years old, to ensure their teeth are cleaned properly and to supervise the amount of toothpaste used.
- Saying well done will boost their confidence and will encourage them to brush their teeth more and leading by example means that children are more likely to copy you.
Please view the resources below for more support on teeth hygiene.
Teeth-brushing tips with Dr Ranj
How to care for the teeth of children aged 3-6 with Dr Ranj and Supertooth!
The free, award-winning Brush DJ app makes brushing your teeth fun!
Additional Resources
Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation designed especially for kids aged 3+. Cosmic Kids is used in schools and homes all over the world.
Get the kids moving with these fun games inspired by some of their favourite Disney characters. These boredom-busting activities will help them reach the 60 active minutes they need every day!
Information for Childcare Professionals including a range of useful resources, local events/courses, our Conference and Healthy Tots accreditation.
Health tips and advice for under 5s - Pre-school
A range of tips and advice for your pre-schooler.
