Australian 24-hour movement guidelines
How much screen time for kids?
Enter an age and today’s screen time. See the Department of Health figure, then a simple day for screens, play and sleep.
Preschoolers (3–5 years)
The time entered is above the guideline figure.
1 hour 30 minutes is 30 minutes above 1 hour. Age: 3 years. Entered screen time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Guideline figure: 1 hour.
- Screen time
- Sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour. Less is better.
- Play
- At least 180 minutes of physical activity, of which at least 60 minutes is energetic play, spread through the day. More is better.
- Sleep
- 10 to 13 hours of good quality sleep, which may include a nap, with consistent sleep and wake-up times.
Not restrained for more than 1 hour at a time, and not sitting for extended periods.
A simple day
Screens
Sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour. Less is better. The entered 1 hour 30 minutes sits above the guideline of no more than 1 hour. A day that follows the guideline keeps screens inside that figure and gives the extra time to play or sleep.
Play
At least 180 minutes of physical activity, of which at least 60 minutes is energetic play, spread through the day. More is better.
Sleep
10 to 13 hours of good quality sleep, which may include a nap, with consistent sleep and wake-up times.
A simple shape for the day
A long stretch of play outside or around the house, including energetic play, one short screen block if you use one, and an evening that winds down without a screen so sleep can cover 10 to 13 hours.
Sources: Department of Health: recommendations for birth to 5 years; 24-hour movement guidelines brochure, birth to 5 years (PDF). These are population guidelines, not a score for one child.
“How much screen time for a 3 year old?” and “screen time for kids Australia” point at the Department of Health 24-hour movement guidelines: one set for birth to 5 years, and one for ages 5 to 17. This planner puts the figure for the age you enter next to the minutes you enter, then sketches a day that also includes play and sleep.
Under 2, sedentary screen time is not recommended. At 2 years, and for preschoolers aged 3 to 5, the figure is no more than 1 hour for the whole day, and less is better. A 3 year old is in that preschool band. Toddlers are also given at least 180 minutes of activity, and preschoolers 180 minutes with at least 60 of them energetic. Sleep is 11 to 14 hours at 1–2 years, including naps, and 10 to 13 hours at 3–5 years, which may include a nap.
From school age, sedentary recreational screen time is no more than 2 hours a day. Schoolwork is not part of that recreational limit, and long sitting should be broken up. Activity is at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous movement, plus lighter movement through the day. Sleep is an uninterrupted 9 to 11 hours at 5–13 years, and 8 to 10 hours at 14–17.
A 5 year old is named in both guidelines. This page uses the early-years figure of 1 hour at that age, and it also shows the school-age recreational figure of 2 hours, which does not count schoolwork. The plan under the result is a shape for the day, not a timetable. Families who already use a wind-down gummy can read about Calm, the Daily Powers magnesium gummy. This planner is about the day, not a sleep product. Bedtime notes and the other free tools are linked below.
Related products: Calm (the magnesium gummy).
From Expert Advice
More free tools are on the parent tools page.