CALGARY, AB, Sept. 21, 2026 /CNW/ — Active for Life today launched ItsChildsPlay.ca, a free website that shows parents how to get their kids moving and off their screens.
The World Health Organization identifies physical activity as essential to health and well-being from the earliest years. Science finds that play builds executive function, social skills like negotiation and cooperation, motor development, and the ability to regulate stress and anxiety. Yet most Canadian children and youth fall well short:
- 80% do not get the recommended two hours of daily active play.
- 63% do not get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
Parents know these facts, but many remain uncertain about how to get their children moving, especially so when overwhelmed with the struggle to limit their children’s screen time.
ItsChildsPlay.ca provides practical solutions that show parents how easy it is to engage in fun activities with their children at home without costly equipment, struggle or stress.
ItsChildsPlay.ca was created by Active for Life, a web-based initiative that helps educators and parents build active play into children’s lives. The site is being promoted with a series of radio ads across Canada, with help from the Pro Bono Group.
Quotes
“For fifteen years, parents have been telling the Active for Life team that getting children to engage in active play is hard. We understand the challenge,” said Richard Monette, who leads Active for Life. “This is why we built ItsChildsPlay.ca: a resource for parents that’s easy to use, takes minutes a day and is good for their child’s body and mind.”
Associated Links
World Health Organization:
- WHO Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour [Link]
- Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age [Link]
Benefits of active play:
- American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report “The Power of Play” [Link]
- UNICEF “Learning through play” [Link]
- OECD “Play!” report [Link]
Level of physical activity and active play in children:
- ParticipACTION, Spotlight on Physical Activity for Children & Youth: 2026 Progress Report [Link]
Profiles
Active for Life
Active for Life is a web-based initiative that equips parents and educators with free resources and training to help children build active play habits early and manage their screen time. Doing so lays the foundation for healthy behaviours through adolescence and adulthood.
B2ten
B2ten is a CRA-registered not-for-profit that applies a business-based approach to promote children developing a joy and pleasure of moving at an early age, active lifestyles, and athlete training and preparation services for select Canadian Olympic athletes.
SOURCE Active for Life
