Starved of motion? Why our kids need a ‘movement diet’

Nicky Pellegrino

Health writer·New Zealand Listener·

29 Oct, 2025 05:01 PM4 mins to read

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If we want our children to fulfil their potential we need to find places where they can jump, run and play. Photo / Getty Images

There is an epidemic of inactivity among young children and experts say it is having a negative impact on their longer-term development. Only 14% of kids aged 3-4 are moving enough, or spending adequate time away from screens, according to a global study led by the University of Wollongong and
published last year.

Elsewhere, there are reports of children reaching school and finding it difficult to manage simple tasks such as sitting still, holding a pencil or putting on their shoes.

Christchurch child development expert Gill Connell says it is crucial for children to have a well-balanced physical diet as it promotes brain development and establishes early movement patterns.

“If, right from the beginning, they’re always in pushchairs, car seats and bouncers then they’re not doing what nature intended and developing the reflexes that are the beginnings of movement,” she says.

Connell is the founder of Moving Smart, which for more than 25 years has been working to help teachers understand the role that movement plays in early learning. Unfortunately, over that period, technology has been working against her bid to improve child activity levels. “Society has also become a lot more risk averse, so we don’t let kids do the things they used to,” she adds.

From supervised tummy time on the floor as a baby to movement games like hopscotch later on, active play is an important part of strengthening muscles and developing fine motor skills.

“There’s a whole sequential developmental process that happens. But children are spending more time on screens. They’re driven places instead of walking on the cracks in the footpath as kids used to. By the time they get to school they’re posturally not fit, they can’t maintain an upright position and have difficulty with physical self-organisation. All of these things are established by whole body experiences.”

Hanging upside down, for instance, stimulates the vestibular system, responsible for things like balance and spatial orientation. Spinning, rolling down hills and doing somersaults aren’t only for fun, they are developing parts of the brain that help with focus and attention.

“Movement is the untold story that connects everything together and we’re trying to get that message out there,” says Connell. “If your child is lying upside down off the couch to watch TV, it’s because they haven’t had enough rolling and spinning in their day. And we may not want them jumping on the couch or bed, but if we want our children to fulfil their genetic potential we need to find places where they can jump.”

Moving Smart offers online resources and courses for parents and teachers, sharing how movement and active play can enhance learning.

“Children need to learn about their bodies in relation to the world, they need to understand co-ordinated movement and be able to adapt and do things in different ways – backwards, sideways, down, fast, slow. People will tell me their kid plays soccer and runs around all the time, but they need a range of movement in their physical diet. If you’re running around, you’re not experiencing the world on different planes, looking between your legs, being upside down or getting the swinging, rocking movements that help calm the sensory system.”

The World Health Organisation has a set of guidelines for activity, starting with infants, for whom they advise at least 30 minutes tummy time spread throughout the day. And they should not be restrained in things like prams and high chairs for longer than an hour at a time.

Between ages 1-5, at least 180 minutes daily of various types of exercise is advised, an hour of which should be moderate to vigorous. And in children aged 5-17, at least an hour daily of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity is recommended.

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