Children are not active enough during the winter and need to be given more opportunities to exercise during this time, new research suggests.

Children are recommended to undertake at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous activity, such as brisk walking, running and sport.

UK researchers measured how active more than 700 children were over the course of one calendar year. All of the children were aged seven.

They found that activity levels were lower in autumn and winter compared to spring and summer. Overall, children were at their most active during early summer, especially at the weekends, while they were least active during weekends in the winter.

Average activity levels peaked in April (65.3 minutes per day) and were at their lowest in February (47.8 minutes per day).

The researchers found that boys' activity levels tended to change more than girls' throughout the year, however boys still tended to be more active overall. On average, they managed to achieve the recommended minimum activity levels even in winter, however girls only managed this during the summer.

"Physical activity is important for children's health and development, but many do not get enough exercise. During spring and summer, when the weather is better and the days are longer, they tend to be playing out and more active, but during the darker, colder months, they are much less active," explained the researchers from the University of Cambridge.

They noted that to some extent, having to go to school protects against inactivity during winter weekdays, however there need to be more initiatives aimed at encouraging children to be more active in the winter, especially at the weekend.

"Children need to be given more opportunities to be active, particularly during the winter months and when the weather is bad. This might include better access to indoor spaces where children can be active or through schools changing their policies related to the use of indoor and outdoor spaces during bad weather," they commented.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.