Active outdoor play
Family Day: Play Your Way to Better Health!
Family Day is the perfect time to get moving more as a family; and there’s no better way than to play! Access to active play in nature and outdoors – with its developmentally-appropriate risks – is essential for healthy child development, including physical and mental well-being. Active outdoor play is a fun, effective way for people to do more physical activity. Parents and caregivers can use this Outside Play Parent Tool↗ to reflect on how you encourage the children in your life to play.
In November 2025, the Ottawa Public Health Board of Health endorsed the Outdoor Play Canada 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play (AOP10)↗ to help bring attention to the evidence-based physical and mental health benefits of active outdoor play.
How much physical activity should you do?
For most of us, the simplest answer is more. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines↗ have excellent recommendations for how much we should be moving, sleeping, and sitting. OPH created a simplified version for youth: Move-Sleep-Socialize↗. When trying to fit in more movement-related behaviours, keep it simple:
Move
Be active every day. More is generally better.
Do activities you enjoy.
Go outside.
Sit less.
Sleep
Sleep lots at night.
Don’t bring your phone into your bedroom.
Be consistent with bed and wake-up times.
Socialize
Hang out with family and friends in person.
Unplug and take regular breaks from your phone.
This Family Day and beyond, try these free or low-cost activities:
Go for a hike at great local greenspaces↗.
Wear your helmets and go for a skate↗ at a local arena, outdoor rink, or on the Rideau Canal Skateway↗.
Wear your helmets and go tobogganing on approved hills↗.
Go for a swim↗ at a local indoor pool.
The Ottawa Public Library offers free passes↗ for activities to help library members be more active.