A group of youth, adults and seniors practise tai chi together at the local church.

A whole family—children, parents and grandparents—participate in a scavenger hunt at the park.

These are just a few examples of different generations being active together, also known as intergenerational physical activity. Read on to find out more about intergenerational physical activity, its benefits, and how to create opportunities for older and younger generations to be active together.

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What Does Intergenerational Physical Activity Look Like?
Intergenerational physical activity is much more than seniors and children exercising at the same time. It includes programs and activities that bring people of different age groups together in a meaningful way.

Here are some more examples of intergenerational physical activities:

• a father and son playing catch
• seniors and youth working together in a community garden
• youth volunteering at a seniors’ games event
• children, youth and adults attending tae kwon do lessons where students are grouped together based on their skill level, not their age
• seniors walking children to school in a walking school bus
• a family cross country skiing or hiking together

Generations Being Active Together: The Benefits
When people of diverse age groups are active together, they share experiences, learn from each other and help one another. Physical activity that is co-operative, purposeful and fun can help to strengthen bonds between parents, grandparents and children in a number of ways:

Different generations learn new things from each other. Younger people learn from the experience of older people. Adults and older adults stay current about the activities and interests of younger people.

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Stereotypes and myths that each generation may have about the other are reduced. Children, youth, adults and older adults are exposed to a wide range of physical abilities, interests, experiences and attitudes. Everyone can  gain an appreciation of how diverse people within a single generation can be.

Different generations feel more comfortable in the company of one another. Socializing together through physical activity can encourage people of all ages to find things in common with each other.

People from different generations are instilled with a sense of purpose. Physical activities that involve co-operating and sharing knowledge can help people feel that their knowledge is valued, that they have something to contribute to other generations and to their community, and that they are helping others.

Examples of this are:

• An older adult acts as a guide on a science class nature walk answering questions about the plants and birds along the trail.
• Students volunteer at a seniors’ residence to help with a morning exercise class.

Intergenerational physical activity is also an opportunity for the following:

• Retired older adults can socialize, stay connected to their community, be a mentor, share their life experiences and reminisce.
• Younger generations can learn more about cultural heritage, history, healthy aging and health conditions.
• Older and younger generations can receive the health benefits of physical activity.

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How Can We Encourage Generations to Be Active Together?
Here are a few ideas to help you to be physically active with other generations:

Invite people of different ages to join you in activities. Invite your parent or grandparent to join a yoga or tai chi class with you. Make planting and harvesting your garden an activity for your whole family.

Play active video games like virtual bowling or tennis with your children or grandchildren.

Check with your local school, church, retirement residence, community centre, or parks and recreation association about what active programs are being offered for participants of different ages. If they don’t have any, ask that they look into providing them. You can give them the list of all the benefits that were provided above in this article.

Check out the volunteer section of your community newspaper. This can be a good place to find intergenerational opportunities.

If you’re planning an activity for people of different generations, whether it’s an active vacation with your kids or a class that includes physical activity, try the following:

Find out what activities each age group likes to do. What physical activity interests do the different generations have in common?

Find out what aspects of an activity encourage or prevent different age groups from doing the activity together. Adapt activities so that people of various abilities can participate fully and safely.

For example, is there a location that works well for most people? Think about places that multiple generations often use, such as churches, community centres, libraries and recreation centres. Will an activity that takes place during daylight be better attended than one planned for the evening? What about transportation? How will people get to the activity?

Make sure that the people planning and leading the activities are trained to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone who participates.

Keep the group size small to encourage people to get to know each other and work together.

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Physical activity naturally lends itself to being an intergenerational activity because many physical activities can be adapted to meet the needs of people of different ages and ability levels.

We can encourage different generations to be active together by finding out the common areas of interest between younger and older people, offering activities that respond to those interests, and planning activities so as many people as possible can participate.

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Learn More
A Guide to Intergenerational Physical Activity
This practical guide about how to implement intergenerational physical activity was developed by the Lifestyle Information Network.

Connecting Generations Toolkit
This website from United Generations Ontario provides resources on best practices for intergenerational programs.

Intergenerational Activities Sourcebook
This booklet from Penn State provides detailed descriptions of a variety of activities that bring younger and older people together.

Tried and True: A Guide to Successful Intergenerational Activities at Shared Site Programs
Developed for older adult day programs and child care settings, this guide from Generations United describes activities that young children and frail adults can enjoy together.

Intergenerational Programs and Aging
This website from Penn State is a bountiful collection of intergenerational and healthy aging resources and links.