The school bags are packed away, the lunchboxes are washed and forgotten at the back of the cupboard, and six weeks of glorious, chaotic, screen-heavy summer stretches out ahead. Sound familiar? If you've already got one eye on the TV remote situation in your house, you're not alone.
New research published this week reveals that a massive 88% of parents worry their children will spend too much sustained inactive time over the summer holidays — think TV marathons, gaming sessions, tablet scrolling and the kind of horizontal sofa-based lifestyle that makes you question everything. Meanwhile, fewer than one in five parents (just 18%) believe their child will actually hit the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity every single day of the school break.
Sobering stuff. But the good news is that Joe Wicks and the government have teamed up to make it a whole lot easier to get kids moving — and it won't cost you a penny.
Why summer hits differently when it comes to keeping kids active
During term time, schools do a lot of the heavy lifting. PE lessons, sports clubs, playtime in the yard — it all adds up. Nearly seven in ten parents (68%) say their children are simply more active during term time because those opportunities exist. Once the holidays hit, that structure disappears overnight and suddenly it's all on you.
That's not a criticism — it's just the reality of summer. Between keeping everyone entertained, fed and vaguely civil to each other, slotting in daily exercise can feel like one more thing on an already impossible list.
Which is exactly why a free, five-minute animated fitness series feels like a genuinely useful thing to have in your back pocket right now.
What is Activate — and why is Joe Wicks behind it?
Activate is a collection of short, five-minute exercise episodes created by Joe Wicks MBE in partnership with StudioAKA (the team behind Hey Duggee, so you already know the vibes are right). Backed by the Department of Health and Social Care, the series is available free on BBC iPlayer with daily episodes also broadcast on CBeebies.
Each episode is set to proper banger music — we're talking the Spice Girls, Bastille, Rizzle Kicks and Olly Alexander — and the exercises are built around movements like squats, star jumps, burpees and press-ups, all wrapped up in fun themes. Kids can take on a surfing challenge, climb a treetop or unlock their superhero powers. They're moving without even clocking that they're exercising, which frankly is the dream.
Joe Wicks said: "Activate was created with exactly that in mind. The series doesn't just get kids jumping around — it's designed to break up sedentary time with accessible movements built around strength and conditioning, without kids even realising they are 'exercising'."
The series launched last summer with ten episodes and inspired nearly 60,000 hours of active time among families across the country. It's since grown to 18 episodes including themed specials for the World Cup, a Back to School challenge and a Christmas special. Parents and carers are actively encouraged to join in — because kids take their cues from us whether we like it or not.
The bigger picture on kids and inactivity
This campaign follows updated UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines, which reinforce something most of us probably already know instinctively but need reminding of: any movement is better than none. You don't need a sports hall or expensive kit. Breaking up long stretches of sitting with light activity — even short bursts — makes a real difference to children's physical and mental health.
The statistics around childhood obesity make for uncomfortable reading. More than one in five children in the UK are living with obesity by the time they leave primary school, rising to almost one in three in areas with higher levels of deprivation. It's a genuine public health issue, and small daily habits can shift that trajectory.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care James Murray put it simply: "Activate makes it easier for children to enjoy being active through fun, free and accessible content that families can use wherever they are this summer."
Five minutes. Free. On CBeebies. If it gets your lot off the sofa and doing star jumps in the living room before they even realise what's happened, that feels like a genuine summer win. You can find Activate on BBC iPlayer and on CBeebies now.
