Early Years (0-4 years):
Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers
Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep.
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years combine
physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines into one, and
include sleep; showing the interrelationship between all three
behaviours. Canadian kids aged four and under are spending too much time in front of screens, which prevents them from meeting new movement
behaviour guidelines. This current reality demonstrates that today’s
release of the new Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years – a world’s first for this age group – couldn’t come at a better time.
These Guidelines were developed by the Canadian Society for Exercise
Physiology (CSEP), the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group
(HALO) at the CHEO Research Institute, the Faculty of Physical Education
and Recreation at the University of Alberta, the Public Health Agency
of Canada, ParticipACTION and a group of leading researchers from Canada
and around the world, with input from over 600 national and
international stakeholders.
Preamble
These Guidelines are relevant to all apparently healthy infants (less than 1 year), toddlers (1-2 years), and preschoolers (3-4 years), irrespective of gender, cultural background, or the socio-economic status of the family. These Guidelines may be appropriate for young children with a disability or medical condition; however, a health professional should be consulted for additional guidance.
Following these Guidelines through the early years is associated with better growth, cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness, cognitive development, psychosocial health/emotional regulation, motor development, body composition, quality of life/well-being, as well as reduced injuries. The benefits of following these Guidelines exceed potential harms.
For those not currently meeting these 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, a progressive adjustment toward them is recommended. Adhering to these Guidelines may be challenging at times; resources are available for assistance at www.BuildYourBestDay.com/EarlyYears.
These Guidelines were informed by the best available evidence, expert consensus, stakeholder consultation, and consideration of values and preferences, applicability, feasibility, and equity.
To encourage healthy growth and development, young children should receive support from their parents and caregivers that allows for an active lifestyle with a daily balance of physical activities, sedentary behaviours, and sleep. Young children should participate in a range of developmentally appropriate, enjoyable, and safe play-based and organized physical activities in a variety of environments (e.g., home/child care/school/community; indoors/outdoors; land/water; summer/winter), both independently as well as together with adults and other children.
For infants, supervised activities could include tummy time, reaching and grasping, pushing and pulling, and crawling. The quality of sedentary behaviour matters; for example, interactive non-screen-based behaviours (e.g., reading, storytelling, singing, puzzles) are encouraged. Developing healthy sleep hygiene in the early years is important; this includes having a calming bedtime routine with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times, avoiding screen time before sleep, and keeping screens out of the bedroom.
Following these Guidelines through the early years is associated with better growth, cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness, cognitive development, psychosocial health/emotional regulation, motor development, body composition, quality of life/well-being, as well as reduced injuries. The benefits of following these Guidelines exceed potential harms.
For those not currently meeting these 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, a progressive adjustment toward them is recommended. Adhering to these Guidelines may be challenging at times; resources are available for assistance at www.BuildYourBestDay.com/EarlyYears.
These Guidelines were informed by the best available evidence, expert consensus, stakeholder consultation, and consideration of values and preferences, applicability, feasibility, and equity.
GUIDELINES
For healthy growth and development, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers should achieve the recommended balance of physical activity, high-quality sedentary behaviour, and sufficient sleep.