NHS physical activity guidelines for children and young people state that children and young people aged 5 to 18 who are living with a disability should:
- Aim to do 20 minutes of physical activity a day, splitting this into smaller chunks of activity throughout the day if needed
- Do challenging but manageable strength and balance activities three times a week
- Get active every day - find an activity they enjoy, such as sports or walking to school
- Aim to give them a healthy, balanced diet that includes fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein and dairy or dairy alternative
- Encourage a healthy attitude to eating – you can be a good role model by staying active and eating healthily yourself
Useful links:
Click on each link to find advice and age-appropriate exercise recommendations for your child.
- NHS Better Health, Healthier Families - Ideas to stay active from home including different games and links to disability sport services
- UNICEF - 10 recommendations to stay active at home
- Strong and stretchy feet - Strong and stretchy feet YouTube video to help with walking and lower limb strength
- Every Body Moves - Accessible home workout videos, also adapted to wheelchair users
- CP Sport - Search to find various sports adapted to suit the needs of children with cerebral palsy
- Contact - Recommendations on how to stay active at home and information on short breaks
Note: Local toy libraries are usually free for children who access local services or who receive Disability Living Allowance or are on the local children’s services register. Search online to find your local toy library.
- Lancashire County Council - See ‘what’s on’ for a range of local events that might help to keep your child more active and support you in doing so
- Lancashire County Council - Break time short breaks for SEND children meeting certain criteria
- SportWorks - Search to find multi-sport programmes aimed at children with disabilities, run by specially trained staff
- LTA Tennis - Tennis sessions designed for wheelchair users, and children with learning disabilities, deaf or visually impaired children, children with sensory needs and more
- British Judo - Adaptive Judo sessions for children with a variety of disabilities and additional needs
- Every Body Moves - Local activity finder for disability sports
- British Blind Sport - Activity finder for sports sessions adapted for blind children near you
- UK Deaf Sport - Activity finder for sports sessions adapted for deaf children near you
- Wheel Power - Online and local wheelchair sport initiatives
- Super 1's Cricket - Super 1’s cricket sessions for disabled people age 12-25 in and around Lancashire
- Disability Snow Sport UK - Disability Snow Sport UK – bi-skiing, stand up skiing or skiing with visual impairments in Rossendale
- BwD Leisure - Potential for discounted access to the gym, classes and swimming pool for Blackburn with Darwen residents
- Blackburn Rovers - Blackburn Rover’s youth engagement programme
- Inspire - Multi-sports sessions in Chorley for individuals with additional needs age 8-25
- Limitless Clarets - Limitless Clarets football or multi-sports sessions for children age 5-18 with SEND
- Dance Sydrome - Dance sessions for children with disabilities – ‘everybody dance’
- Aqualions - Aqualions – free disability swimming sessions
- Jump Works - Autism friendly and disability trampolining sessions
Please note
It is important to remember that this resource contains general advice for an active, healthy lifestyle. Please consider the individual needs of your child, including their personal preferences and adapt accordingly.
Your physiotherapist may have recommended some specific exercises for you to do. It is important that you do these alongside following these recommendations for an active, healthy lifestyle