On 15 July the government announced continued funding for Joe Wicks' Activate, an animated series that turns screen time into short bursts of physical activity for children aged four to 11.
New research shows 88 per cent of parents fear their children will spend too much time inactive over the summer break. Only 18 per cent expect them to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily movement each day. The survey, carried out by Censuswide among 2,010 parents in England between 1 and 6 July, underscores the scale of the challenge facing families once school routines end.
Activate delivers five-minute exercise segments available on BBC iPlayer, with daily airings on CBeebies. Episodes feature simple movements such as squats, running on the spot and star jumps, set to tracks from Bastille, the Spice Girls and Rizzle Kicks. The series now totals 18 episodes, including themed specials that transform activity into imaginative play: surfing challenges, treetop climbs or superhero tests.
The programme first launched in summer 2025 with government support for ten episodes. It generated nearly 60,000 hours of family activity in its initial run. Officials have since expanded it and aligned the content with refreshed Physical Activity Guidelines and the 10 Year Health Plan.
Obesity burden and the case for prevention
Obesity already costs the NHS £11.4 billion each year. More than one in five children leave primary school living with obesity, a figure that rises to almost one in three in areas of higher deprivation. Sport England estimates that regular physical activity could prevent £15.9 billion in NHS treatment costs annually.
These numbers expose a pattern of inaction on childhood inactivity. Around two million children fail to meet recommended activity levels, a gap the government has repeatedly acknowledged yet struggled to close through broader interventions. Activate takes a different route. It equips families with free, accessible tools they can use at home, on holiday or during unstructured days, without depending on state-run programmes or school terms.
