Objective

To conduct a thematic review of physical exercise programs for children in the global context.

Methods

The search for information was carried out in databases Redalyc, Scielo, Elsevier, Pubmed, Scopus, using descriptors in health such as motor activity, children, adolescents, warm-up exercise, muscle stretching exercises and cooling exercise. Full-length articles in Spanish and English were selected and published between 2008 and 2019. In addition, pages were consulted from organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia, the Administrative Department of Sports, recreation, physical activity and the use of free time, among others. The information was organized in an Excel database according to the year of publication, title, authors, methodology, phases and dimensions of the program.

Results

The information was analyzed and the structure of the activity program for schoolchildren was designed, taking into account the recommendations of the WHO and the legislation in force in Colombia.

Conclusions

The implementation of physical exercise programs from childhood and adolescence, promote healthy habits that positively impact health by decreasing risk factors of chronic non transmissible diseases. Their structure includes methodological characteristics such as duration, frequency, intensity, type of exercise and the warm-up, stretching, active or central phase, and cooling down or returning to calm phases.