Childhood obesity month spotlights homeschool PE gap

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month is drawing attention to how few U.S. children meet daily movement targets, while homeschool families often lack easy access to physical education. Fitness professional Amy Burton is pitching Shining Light Fitness as an online PE option built to help families add activity at home.

Why it matters: - U.S. children are still missing daily movement targets, and that gap can affect long-term health habits. - Families teaching at home often need to create physical education on their own, which can make consistent exercise harder to build into the school day. - Shining Light Fitness is trying to turn that gap into a simpler routine for homeschool parents and kids.

What happened: - National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month is putting children’s physical activity back in focus. - A 2026 JAMA Network Open study using health records from more than 6 million U.S. youths found that about 36.5% of children ages 6-11 and 38.5% of adolescents and young adults ages 12-19 had overweight or obesity. - Federal guidelines call for children and adolescents ages 6-17 to get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day. - Only 20%-28% of children and adolescents meet that recommendation. - A 2026 analysis in CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease found that 74% of states required zero to less than 60 minutes of physical education per week for elementary students. - Amy Burton, a certified personal trainer and health coach, founded Shining Light Fitness after seeing the challenge among homeschool families. - Shining Light Fitness is a faith-based online physical education platform for homeschool families.

The details: - An estimated 3.4 million U.S. students were homeschooled during the 2024-25 school year, about 6% of the school-age population, according to a 2026 analysis by the National Home Education Research Institute. - Burton said the platform gives families a convenient, affordable way to increase physical activity, learn sports skills and build healthy habits at home. - Burton said the service gives kids access to a variety of coaches, styles of instruction and a library of activities in one environment. - Burton said parents do not have to search for, assemble and vet activities from multiple sources. - Shining Light Fitness includes age-appropriate workouts, sports skills instruction, movement games and family activities. - The platform also includes character-development lessons and Biblical instruction. - Families can follow a weekly curriculum or pick activities based on age, time, space and equipment. - Every workout and activity includes a printable version for offline use and less screen time. - The annual subscription costs $89 and covers an entire family. - Shining Light Fitness is an approved vendor in several state-funded education scholarship programs serving homeschool families. - The program serves children in grades K-12. - More information is available on the company’s website. - The company’s social profiles include LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The broader trend is clear: schools may not be delivering enough PE time for children to meet daily exercise goals, so outside-the-classroom options matter more. - Homeschool families may face an even bigger burden because parents often take on the PE role without specialist training or ready-made lesson plans. - Burton is positioning Shining Light Fitness as both a health tool and a values-based education product, which may appeal to families looking for structure and faith content in the same package.

What's next: - Shining Light Fitness is likely to keep targeting homeschool families as awareness around childhood obesity and daily movement grows. - The platform’s approved-vendor status in state scholarship programs could help expand access if more families can use public education funds to pay for it. - The push for more at-home movement may also make the product more relevant for children in traditional schools who need activity after class.