Children need at least one hour of physical activity a day to help them grow stronger muscles and bones, maintain a healthy weight and build their confidence.

So we’ve pulled together 7 ideas on how you and your family can spend an hour each day being active and socialising.

On your bike

Children love cycling. It’s not only a fun and healthy way to spend time with your child, it’s also one of the easiest ways to get your child to be more active.

Cycling has many benefits for children such as improved health, confidence and concentration. Cycling causes less strain and injuries than most other forms of exercise and many people know how to ride a bike because once you learn, you don’t forget!

Best foot forward

Another free and easy activity to do as a family is to put on your walking shoes and head out. Walking is a great chance to boost your energy, clear your head and lift your mood. To help keep young brains occupied you could make a list of all the trees, plants, and insects that they can identify along the way.

You can also track your walking and motivate yourself to get out every day with the Active 10 app. It keeps track of how often you are walking continuously for at least 10 minutes.

Visit Telford Town Park

This summer there are some fantastic free activities on offer in Telford Town Park over the summer break.

Whether you want to do something sporty or something creative, there’s all sorts of opportunities for you and your family. You can find out what they have on via the Telford Town Park Facebook page.

Fly a kite

How about you reach to the back of the garden shed and grab that kite?  Kite flying on a breezy day can keep children and big kids active for hours.

For keen flyers, The Kite Society of Great Britain has local groups that meet for special days where more experienced flyers can give advice. Some groups even offer kite-making workshops.

Take a trip to the beach

In the summer it’s hard to resist a weekend trip to the coast to enjoy a dip in the water. The beach offers so many great ways to be active as a family including games, playing the in the sand, swimming and rock-pooling. But of course, make sure that you are prepared for the sun by taking shade and applying sun cream.

Do a 10 minute shake up

The NHS Healthier Families website have created a series of fun 10 minute shake up games to keep your kids active.

Each 10 minute shake up is a fun activity or game that can be played as a family or with friends. New shake ups are being added all the time and you’ll see some familiar Disney characters too.

Build a den

Capture the imagination of your youngsters, allow them to problem solve and be creative by helping them to build a den. You could make the den in your garden, inside or in a local green space.

Make sure that you’re supervising them at all times to prevent injuries from falling branches or from lifting heavy objects.  And remember to wash everyone’s hands if you’re planning a picnic afterwards.