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Worried about screen time? These five fun activities can help kids move more every day

Worried about screen time? These five fun activities can help kids move more every day

Screens may be a part of modern childhood, but active play is still vital for children's health and development. Dr Ravi Lukha shares five easy, low-cost ways to encourage more movement every day.

Little girl in yellow boots and a raincoat jumps in a large puddle against the background of plants.

Serafina Kenny

Published: June 22, 2026 at 11:20 AM

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Whether it's gaming, watching videos or chatting with friends, many children spend a significant part of their day looking at a screen. But with the government announcing they will be banning children from 10 major social media platforms come spring 2027, children are hopefully going to be spending much less time on devices.

This is great news for children’s physical health as well as their mental health and development, because screens are by nature a sedentary activity, but the more movement, the better for our health.

"Helping your child stay active is more important than ever, especially with the lure of screens more available than ever before," says Dr Ravi Lukha, Medical Director at Bupa UK Insurance.

“Once your child turns five, it’s recommended that they should be active for around an hour every day. This movement should ensure their breathing is faster, and they feel warmer from the activity,” he says.

Regular movement helps children build strong muscles and bones, supports healthy growth, improves balance and coordination, and can benefit mood and concentration too.

But with screens such an enticing alternative to active play, it can be hard to coax kids off the sofa and into the garden, or even just to stand up.

Encouraging children to move more doesn't have to mean organised sports, expensive clubs or forcing reluctant youngsters into exercise.

It can help to introduce movement slowly, in ways that feel fun and like less pressure to do. This way, your child can reap the benefits of movement, without realising that they’re even exercising.

Dr. Ravi Lukha

Here are his five suggestions for getting kids moving in ways that don’t feel like a chore...

Turn walks into an adventure

A simple trip to the shops or school run can become a mini quest with a little imagination.

"Supervised story-led challenges whilst you're out and about with your child is a great way to spur their imagination whilst introducing movement," says Dr Lukha.

He suggests encouraging children to jump over puddles, skip across alternate paving slabs or weave around obstacles as they walk.

Parents can add to the fun by creating a story around the route.

"Puddles could be rivers that your child has to cross, and different paving slabs could be counted to mark how far away you are from your destination," he explains.

By turning everyday movement into a game, children stay active without feeling as though they're exercising.

A little girl wearing wellies beside a beautiful lake, holds a lollipop. She takes a determined step forward.

Getty/Catherine Falls Commercial

"When supervised to keep them safe, your outdoor adventures can become a good way to help them burn off energy, along with fun associations of moving outdoors," he says.

Let them create an obstacle course

Rainy weather doesn't have to mean retreating to screens.

"On rainier days, you can help your child transform a room into their very own obstacle course," says Dr Lukha. "All it needs is a bit of space and lots of imagination."

Using cushions, chairs, soft toys and household items, children can create routes that involve jumping, crawling, balancing and moving around the house or garden.

"Letting children design their own obstacle course can be a great way to encourage active play," he says.

Children can even time themselves and try to beat their previous score.

"This type of activity supports strength, coordination and problem solving, while giving children a sense of ownership over how they move," Dr Lukha says.

Plus, the different types of movement can help with children’s gross and fine motor skills, which aids their development.

Focusing the activity on creativity and fun, children are more likely to repeat the activity, helping them build regular movement into their day without it feeling like structured exercise.

Dr Ravi Lukha

Make tidying up part of the game

messy playroom with lots of toys all over the floor

This tip is just as beneficial for parents as children, since getting children to tidy their toys can sometimes feel harder than getting them off a screen.

Dr Lukha suggests combining the two challenges.

"After their next toy play session, ask your child to hop or skip across the room as they tidy their toys away," he says.

"You could even play some music as they're tidying away, to gently challenge them to ensure the room is cleared before the song ends."

Not only does this encourage movement, but it can also help children build positive associations around play and physical activity.

"This positive association with the end of playtime may encourage your child to want to play with their toys, rather than technology, as they'll learn to associate playtime with fun."

Try a colour walk

If your child groans at the suggestion of a family walk, a simple challenge could change their mind.

"A family walk on its own might not be enough to inspire your child to part with their tablet," says Dr Lukha. "However, giving them a clear purpose to the walk may help inspire them to get involved and enjoy moving their body."

"Colour walks use the premise of choosing a colour before you head out on your walk. Then, as you're outside, your challenge is to spot that colour as many times as you can throughout your walk."

For example, if you choose red, you might be on the lookout for post boxes, stop signs, and red cars.

"This type of activity helps to stimulate your child's mind as well as encourage them to exercise," Dr. Lukha says.

For older children, you can increase the challenge by searching for colours across the entire rainbow or looking for unusual objects that match each shade.

Bring back musical statues

Brother and sister jumping on couch at home

Getty/MoMo Productions

"Don't underestimate the power of childhood games like musical statues," says Dr Lukha.

Using a playlist of favourite songs, encourage your child to dance freely before pausing the music unexpectedly, when they have to freeze and become a statue.

The game is particularly useful when screen time is ending and children need help transitioning to a different activity, Dr. Lukha says.

As well as being fun, it helps develop physical skills.

"Along with creating a challenge of who can stop dancing the quickest, it also encourages their coordination, balance and listening skills to develop,” he adds.

Small changes can make a big difference

Reducing screen time isn't about banning technology altogether. Instead, it's about making sure children have plenty of opportunities to move, play and explore the world around them.

By introducing active play in ways that feel exciting rather than enforced, parents can help children build healthy habits that support their physical wellbeing — while creating plenty of family memories along the way.

The goal doesn’t have to be to eliminate screens completely. It's to make sure they don't crowd out the climbing, jumping, running, exploring and imaginative play that children remember most from childhood.

Authors

Serafina Kenny journalist headshot

Serafina KennyDigital Journalist

Serafina Kenny is a Digital Journalist at MadeForMums. She writes news and features and has expertise in health, nutrition, relationships, and history. She has previously written for Business Insider, Women's Health, Stylist, Men's Health US, The i Paper, Dazed, and more. You can contact her with tips and story ideas (or compliments!) at serafina.kenny@immediate.co.uk.