Preschool children need to be active at home, at play during the weekends and in the community.

Kids need more exercise than adults, and children under five should be encouraged to move every day. Older children and young people should be kept busy with at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day.

Physical activity has aerobic, muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening benefits for kids:

Download guidelines on getting children aged five and under to play regularly and have quality sleep from the Ministry of Health.

Download a factsheet on suitable physical activity ideas for children and young people [PDF].

Download a factsheet on fun games and activities with a fly swatter [PDF].

Find out about activities for the whānau from All Right?.

Sparklers has wellbeing activities for the whānau - ideal for school holidays or weekends.

Agents of Discovery is a FREE educational games app from the Christchurch City Council that uses augmented reality to interact with the world around you. Use a smart phone to solve fun challenges while exploring Christchurch's awesome parks. There are new missions every season!

Active movement is so important as children learn from movement and physical activity. It is important for healthy brain development that children move. Early childhood experiences are critical to the development of the skills, attitudes and confidence required to become an active participant in sport and recreation in later life.

Download Active Movement resources for under-fives from Sport NZ on balancing, walking, tummy time, climbing and more.

Use the Activity Search to find other music groups and sessions in your area using the following key words: Playgroup, Music, Preschool.

Mainly Music is a fun music group for parents or primary care givers to enjoy together with their young child. Children develop gross and fine motor skills, language, imagination, mathematical and pre-reading skills as well as socialising with others during these morning sessions.

Christchurch City Libraries have some cool Māori resources perfect for getting tamariki moving. Check out the Waiata section which includes Maori songs for children, Waiata on CD and Kapa haka.

Preschoolers can participate in gymnastics and climbing classes at the Kindness Foundation - formerly known as YMCA Christchurch. These classes are designed to help develop motor skills, confidence and body awareness while having lots of fun incorporating dance, song and games.

Nettabury is adapted netball for ages 2 to 5 years. These are fun mornings of movement on Sundays (9.30 to 10.15am) at Ngā Puna Wai during term time.

The Christchurch City Council provides the following recreational activities for under fives:

Move Ōtautahi offers several movement, circus, and dance classes for babies to 5 year olds at Parakiore.

Wā Pēpi: Babytimes is a programme especially suitable for under two year olds from Christchurch City Libraries. Each session involves sharing a variety of stories, songs, rhymes, fingerplays and other book related activities.

Wā Kōrero: Storytimes is a similar programme for children aged 2 years and over at Christchurch City Libraries.

Baby Rhymes from the Christchurch City Libraries is designed for parents to help with language acquisition, develop memory skills, encourage baby to make new sounds and expand vocabulary at home. Rhymes also involve tactile play and massaging which:

Selwyn District Council runs the following sessions:

All Selwyn Libraries offer weekly story, song and activity sessions for under 5s - only during term time:

Waimakariri Storytimes and Babytimes offers regular sessions that encourage learning through a love of reading with stories, rhymes, music and movement, and run during school terms.

The Mainpower Amberley Pool provides learn to swim options for preschoolers, including a new programme for babies from 6 months.

North Canterbury Sports runs gymnastics and sports fun-damental programmes for children up to 8 years at MainPower Stadium and Rangiora Fitness Centre.

The EA Networks Centre runs:

Come along to Wriggle and Read at the Ashburton Library on Tuesdays mornings (from 10.30am) during term time for music, movement and ready for children up to 3 years old.