- Categories:
- Relationship
- Tags:
- ActivitiesChildrenFamily
- Where:
- United States
- Date change rule:
- Week starting with the 1st Sunday of August
- Holiday emoji:
- 🤸
Exercise with Your Child Week encourages families to get moving and embrace healthier lifestyles every first full week of August. Combat sedentary habits with fun activities, strengthen family bonds, and instill a love for fitness in children. Explore new ways to play and move together!
Want to sponsor Exercise with Your Child Week? Learn how
Expected Exercise with Your Child Week Deals
As Exercise with Your Child Week approaches, expect health and wellness brands to highlight family-focused initiatives. While specific 2027 promotions are pending, look for offers from brands like Nike on kids’ activewear, Fitbit with family-friendly fitness trackers, and Peloton offering family-oriented workout content. Local gyms and community centers often host free family fitness classes or offer discounted memberships. Non-profits such as the YMCA and the National Recreation and Park Association will promote events and resources for active play. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as August approaches.
Platform Guide for Exercise with Your Child Week
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #ExerciseWithYourChildWeek. Share photos and videos of your family’s favorite active moments, from park visits to home workouts.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #ExerciseWithYourChildWeek. Create a community event for a family walk or bike ride, inviting friends and neighbors to join.
X/Twitter
Mention @NatlToday and use #ExerciseWithYourChildWeek. Share quick tips for integrating exercise into daily routines and challenge other families to participate.
Exercise with Your Child Week Hero
Michelle Obama
History of Exercise with Your Child Week
The first Exercise with Your Child Week was started in 2010 by Sheila Madison. She wanted to promote healthy living amongst families. The human body is a machine that needs to be maintained and oiled at regular intervals. If a machine is not used well or is used without it being taken care of, it would not be able to operate and continue well. Similarly, a human body needs daily exercise for it to function well since, without it, all sorts of illnesses can plague one’s life. Children need to be taught this lesson from a young age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a 60-minute exercise regime for all children and adolescents. Once a child develops a habit of exercising regularly, they will be able to perform well in their Physical Education classes as well as in their daily lives generally. You can teach your children all these advantages by setting an example for yourself and exercising daily.
Exercising need not be all sweat and effort. It can be a fun activity filled with quality time for you and your children. Starting from the tender age of three, you can start putting your children on some exercises. But before you do that, make sure you consult a child physician to determine the best exercises according to your children’s physique. CDC suggests starting with some aerobic exercising techniques, which should make up most of the 60 minutes duration. Aerobic exercise can include running, jogging, or brisk walking. For muscle strengthening exercises, you can opt for push-ups, light weight lifting, and gymnastics. If you want to strengthen your bones, you can try your hands at skipping. Apart from all these, you can do hula-hooping, dancing, walking, or even just household chores that involve you moving around a lot.
Exercise with Your Child Week timeline
Sheila Madison commemorates the first Exercise with Your Child Week to encourage healthy lifestyles in families.
Trevor Archer, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg, reveals that children and adolescents develop healthier physical and mental health systems.
CDC publishes the second exercise edition for children and adolescents, recommending a 60-minute exercising session.
Research shows that a sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain and obesity in children.
How Businesses Can Celebrate Exercise with Your Child Week
Local businesses can champion Exercise with Your Child Week by promoting family-friendly activities and healthy living. Gyms and fitness studios could offer free ‘bring your child’ classes or workshops on creating active routines. Restaurants might introduce special ‘kids eat healthy’ menus or host family-friendly outdoor events like scavenger hunts. Retailers selling sporting goods or outdoor equipment could run promotions on items that encourage active play, such as bikes, balls, or hiking gear, highlighting the benefits of shared family fitness.
Exercise with Your Child Week FAQs
When is Exercise with Your Child Week?
In 2026, Exercise with Your Child Week runs from Sunday, August 2, through Saturday, August 8. It’s a perfect time to kickstart healthy habits together.
How much physical activity do children need?
According to the CDC, children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. This should include aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening activities.
What are the benefits of family exercise?
Exercising as a family offers numerous benefits, including improved physical health, reduced stress, and enhanced mood for everyone. It also strengthens family bonds and creates positive shared experiences.
What are some fun ways to exercise with kids?
Fun ways to exercise with kids include dancing, playing tag, riding bikes, swimming, or exploring local parks and playgrounds. The key is to make it enjoyable and varied.
How To Celebrate Exercise with Your Child Week
Involve some music
Exercising has got us huffing and puffing, but that does not mean we have to listen to it. Make a playlist with your children, and have it playing when you exercise. Including this element in your daily exercise will help you and your children to get into the zone.
Learn a new activity
There are so many things we can do to get our exercise quotient in, be it playing a sport like tennis or learning swimming. You will not only get your muscles and bones moving, but you will also be learning new things while doing it.
Make it fun
Every household has some amount of chores that need to be done daily. This is the perfect way to get the children moving throughout the day. The chores could be anything like mopping the floor or putting the dishes in the dishwasher.
5 Facts About Childhood Obesity That Will Blow Your Mind
Childhood obesity can decrease with education
From 2011 - 2014, childhood obesity saw a decline as the education of the household heads increased.
High childhood obesity rates in America
One in five children in America suffers from childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity carries on to adulthood
Children who have been obese in the early years of their lives have a higher chance of having it in their adulthood too.
Less military personnel
Childhood obesity plaguing one in four people from the ages of 17 - 24 can mean fewer and fewer people being eligible to serve in the U.S. military.
Poor mental and physical health
Childhood obesity can lead to people having poor mental and physical health, with them suffering from high cholesterol, heart diseases, stress, and anxiety.
Why We Love Exercise with Your Child Week
It’s a celebration of exercise
Exercise is essential for everyone. It not only keeps us healthy and running for the rest of our lives, but it also keeps us fresher and happier. Exercise is, in fact, linked to mental detoxification as it can allow you to decrease symptoms of depression and low self-esteem.
It’s a celebration of childhood
Childhood, without a doubt, can be some of the best years of our lives. As children, our worries tend to be minuscule. This is why we should make the most of it by exercising and moving about. Good habits developed in childhood will benefit one in the long term.
It’s a celebration of family
As a family, we do a lot of activities together. From shopping to eating to watching a movie, it all makes for quality time. Adding exercise to the equation is great because not only are you benefitting your bodies, but you are also adding more quality time to family activities.
Exercise with Your Child Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | August 3–9 | Sunday–Saturday |
| 2026 | August 2–8 | Sunday–Saturday |
Social Media Tips for Exercise with Your Child Week
Individuals
Creators
Brands