Planning for Physical Activity

Helping organizations share ideas, tools, and resources to support physical activity participation, goal setting, planning and progress.

Wheelchair basketball team and coach.

Image: Youth with disabilities basketball team huddled around their coach, who shows them a game plan strategy on a clipboard.

It is recommended that organizations provide families of children and youth with disabilities with ideas, tools and resources to support physical activity participation, goal setting, planning, and progress.

Why is it important to support families with behavioural regulation?

Behavioural regulation includes strategies such as goal setting, planning, and progress tracking.

Behavioural regulation strategies can help increase families' confidence and make it more achievable for them to provide physical activity support to their children. Families of children and youth with disabilities have expressed a need for tools and strategies that support their behavioural regulation. However, these resources are currently very limited.

How can your organization help?

Your organization can help by providing families with tools and resources to support their behavioural regulation. This guide contains strategies that your organization can use to support families of children and youth living with a disability with goal setting, planning, back-up planning, and monitoring, along with some examples of ways that families can provide physical activity support.

Within this resource we include links to various tools. Although some of the tools were developed for adults trying to increase their physical activity, or educators and recreational professionals, we think they can be helpful to families of children and youth with disabilities!

Download our accessible PDF version! Link re-directs to a preview (new tab) to download from.

Planning for Physical Activity (PDF)

Be Resourceful

Direct families to behavioural regulation tools. These practical resources can help make families' goal setting, planning, and tracking for their child's physical activity more effective.

Example: "Need some guidance on organizing your child's physical activity? Check out these goal setting activities, calendars, apps, and activity logs! These resources can help you set goals, create plans, and keep track of your progress to make physical activity a regular part of your child's day. Check out this resource from Plan to Move for a set of strategies to help you increase your child's physical activity levels."

Empower Success

Encourage families to engage in behavioural regulation by highlighting the benefits of these strategies. Emphasize that setting goals, creating plans, and tracking progress can have a positive impact on their children's physical activity levels.

Example: "Goal setting, planning, and progress tracking are great ways to create routine and consistency, making physical activity more achievable for your child. Let’s plan to move and make every day active!"

Set Goals

Goal setting is a great place to start because it helps guide and motivate families so they can effectively support and promote their children's physical activity. It involves thoughtful consideration of the goal, why it is important, and the steps required to achieve it.

How can your organization help?

Provide families with clear information about the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. This knowledge helps create the foundation for setting physical activity goals.

Example: "Did you know that children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day? Understanding these guidelines can help you set achievable goals for your child."

Check out Recommendation #1 for more information on the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines.

Check out The Ability Toolkit (PDF) for information relevant to adapting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines to the unique movement abilities of children and youth with disabilities.

Offer families a variety of ideas on how they can support their children's physical activity and suggestions for activities their children can engage in. These ideas can help families feel more confident in their ability to support their children to stay active.

Example: "You can support your child by providing them with transportation, participating together, and enrolling them in physical activity programs. Need ideas for activities? Try things like riding a bicycle, playing at the park, or joining a sports team!"

Check out this resource from Active for Life to get ideas about activities your child could participate in.

Educate families about how to set effective goals using the SMART criteria. This approach helps increase the likelihood that families will be successful in achieving their goals to support their children's physical activity.

Example: "Setting SMART goals can make a big difference in your child's physical activity routine. Your goals should be:

  • Specific: Clearly define what goals you want to achieve.
  • Measurable: Ensure that progress toward your goals can be tracked.
  • Achievable: Set realistic goals that align with your current schedule and resources.
  • Relevant: Make your goals meaningful for your child based on their needs and interests.
  • Time-bound: Set deadlines for your goals to help you stay focused."

Check out this resource from Health Link BC to learn more about SMART goal setting.

Create a Plan

Planning is an effective strategy to increase family physical activity support. By creating a structured plan, families can ensure that physical activity becomes a regular part of their children's day.

How can your organization help?

Teach families about how to create a detailed, structured plan for their children's physical activity.

Example: "Creating a detailed action plan can help make your child's physical activity goals more achievable. Outline what specific activities your child will do, as well as when and where they'll do them. Be sure to schedule this plan into your calendar."

Check out this resource from Lets Move! (PDF) to learn more about creating a plan for your child's physical activity goals.

Have a Backup Plan

Having a backup plan is essential for ensuring that families can maintain their children's physical activity routines, even when unexpected challenges arise. By anticipating potential obstacles and preparing strategies to overcome them, families can stay on track with supporting their children's physical activity.

How can your organization help?

Encourage families to identify potential challenges that might interfere with their plans.

Example: "Life is unpredictable, but you can support your child's physical activity even when challenges come your way. Take a moment to think about some obstacles you might face, such as bad weather, limited time, or low motivation."

Teach families the if-then planning technique, which involves preparing a backup plan for overcoming potential obstacles. Taking this proactive approach can help families feel more prepared and confident to deal with challenges.

Example: "Be ready for anything! Brainstorm strategies to overcome any potential obstacles to supporting your child's physical activity. Now using the if-then planning technique: if a challenge arises, then you will engage in your pre-established strategy to overcome it. This way, you will always have a plan B to keep your child active!"

Track Your Progress

Progress tracking is essential for families when supporting their children's physical activity. This process can help families identify patterns and areas for improvement to inform adjustments they may need to make to their child's physical activity goals and plans.

How can your organization help?

Teach families how to track their children's activity levels, progress, goal achievements, mood, and motivation. Encouraging progress tracking may improve families' confidence to provide physical activity support.

Example: "Tracking your child's progress can make a big difference in helping you to stay motivated. Note down the activities they do, how long they do them, how they feel afterward, and any challenges they face. This way, you can see what's working and adjust as needed."

Check out this resource from Active for Life that helps you track your child's physical activity participation.

Encourage families to celebrate their children's successes to keep them motivated. Recognizing small achievements can help make physical activity a rewarding experience.

Example: "Recognize your child's successes, no matter how small. Brainstorm a rewarding incentive together and follow through on it when your child achieves their physical activity goal."

Provide families with reminders to help them stay on track with supporting their children's physical activity goals. Offer check-ins and provide support to ensure families are regularly checking in on their child's progress.

Example: "We are here to help you stay on track! Opt in for our emails, and we will check in monthly to remind you to track your child's progress toward their physical activity goals."

References for Overall Evidence Base

Bassett-Gunter, R. L., Ruscitti, R. J., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., & Fraser-Thomas, J. L. (2017). Targeted physical activity messages for parents of children with disabilities: A qualitative investigation of parents’ informational needs and preferences. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 64, 37–46.

Bassett-Gunter, R. L., Tanna, S., Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K. A., Rhodes, R. E., & Leo, J. (2020). Understanding the role of parents in supporting physical activity among children and youth with disabilities: A behavior change theory perspective. European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity, 13(2).

Jeong, M., Kim, S. Y., & Lee, E. (2015). Parents’ beliefs and intentions toward supporting physical activity participation for their children with disabilities. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 32(2), 93-105.

Rhodes, R. E., Berry, T., Craig, C. L., Faulkner, G., Latimer-Cheung, A., Spence, J. C., & Tremblay, M. S. (2013). Understanding parent support of child physical activity behaviour. American Journal of Health Behaviour, 37(4), 469-477.

Rhodes, R. E., Naylor, P. J., & McKay, H.A. (2010). Pilot study of a family physical activity planning intervention among parents and their children. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 33(2),91-100.

Rhodes, R. E., Spence, J. C., Berry, T., Deshpande, S., Faulkner, G., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., & Tremblay, M. S.(2016). Understanding action control of parental support behavior for child physical activity. Health Psychology, 35(2), 131.

Siebert, E. A., Hamm, J., & Yun, J.(2016). Parental influence on physical activity of children with disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 64(4), 378-390.

Tanna, S., Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K., Rhodes,R. E., & Bassett-Gunter, R. L. (2017). A pilot study exploring the use of a telephone-assisted planning intervention to promote parental support for physical activity among children and youth with disabilities. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 32, 25-33.