Winter holidays 2026 – active or not? After the winter break as many as 56% of parents feel that they did not have enough exercise.
According to the latest survey commissioned by MultiSport, 22% of parents of school-age children are planning a winter break for them and those staying at home want to prioritise exercise. At the same time, as many as 56% of respondents admit that they usually end the winter holiday period feeling unsatisfied with their family’s physical activity. How to plan this year’s school break to maintain a healthy balance between passive and active rest?
How will Poles spend the 2026 winter holidays?
Travelling outside the place of residence – for organised recreation or to visit loved ones – is declared by 22% of parents of school-age children who took part in a survey conducted on the Ariadna nationwide research panel on behalf of the MultiSport Programme. Most families, however, will organise this time at home, largely focusing on various types of activity. One in two surveyed parents from the group declaring activity plans taking walks as well as playing in parks and playgrounds. Going to the swimming pool or water park (41%) and visiting the ice rink (39%) are also popular. For some families, indoor activities will also be an important part of the winter holidays. One in four parents plans to take their child to a playroom or an indoor amusement park. The responses also include trampoline parks and sports activities held in halls and on climbing walls. 12% of the surveyed parents who will stay at home do not plan any physical activities for their children.
Active winter holidays are important to us...
The survey results also show that for parents the perfect winter break increasingly means being active: 89% agree that it’s a great time to encourage their child to take up a new form of exercise and 84% see it as an opportunity to increase the level of physical activity for the whole family. When asked about the main motivations for active leisure, parents emphasised that they want to spend this time differently (51%), take care of their health and fitness (39%) and distance themselves from home and work responsibilities (39%). One in three parents also indicated that being active during the winter holidays helps children “burn off energy.”
…but they don’t always work out
Respondents also point out that two weeks off is a logistical challenge, especially if the goal is to maintain a balance between active rest and time spent in front of a screen. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that children aged 5–17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity per day, including muscle and bone strengthening exercise three times a week. Meanwhile, when asked about the number of days during this year’s winter holiday during which children will be physically active for at least 60 minutes, parents most often indicate the range of 4–7 days (32%), and only 20% assume that their children will move regularly for at least an hour a day for the entire two weeks. This is why many parents admit that after the winter holidays they feel dissatisfied. As many as 56% of them usually end this period with the belief that there was not enough exercise in the family.
What can help families move more often?
As practice shows, what is easily accessible and gives the family a choice without complicated logistics – local sports and recreation infrastructure as well as solutions that expand access to various forms of exercise – wins.
It’s understandable that planning two weeks off regular physical activity can be difficult for parents. The survey shows that what we have at hand really helps: 73% of parents point out that local sports and recreation facilities help spending the winter holidays actively and 75% expect employers to provide benefits that expand family access to various sports disciplines and recreational activities. This is a clear signal for companies that support for physical activity, recreation and free time organisation should increasingly apply not only to employees but also to their families. The attitudes revealed in the survey are observed in the way the MultiSport Programme is used, including the MultiSport Kids option. Over the last two winter seasons, there has been a growing interest in both typical children’s activities – such as playrooms – and family activities, including ice rinks, trampoline parks, climbing walls, dancing, roller skating and bowling. During the winter holidays, MultiSport Programme members also benefit from services in the “skiing” category, including attractive discounts on ski passes for children and adults in selected ski resorts and ski simulators
- says Kinga Kołodziej, Customer Relations Director at Benefit Systems.
About the survey: The survey commissioned by the MultiSport Programme was conducted on a representative random sample of 600 Poles aged 18+ who are parents of school-age children. The survey was conducted on 19–22 December on the nationwide Ariadna research panel, using the CAWI method.
Barbara Jastrzębska
Benefit Systems has been a leader in the Polish non-financial benefits market for over 20 years and one of the most important players in the fitness industry in the region. For years, the company has been setting market development directions, creating modern solutions that support employee wellbeing and promote an active lifestyle. Benefit Systems’ flagship product is the MultiSport Programme – the most recognizable and most frequently chosen sports programme in Poland, providing access to thousands of sports and recreational facilities. The company’s strong portfolio is complemented by the MyBenefit cafeteria platform and the comprehensive Multi.Life wellbeing programme, creating a unique ecosystem of benefits for companies that care about their employees. Benefit Systems is also dynamically expanding its presence abroad. The company’s sports offer is available in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Turkey, which strengthens its position as one of the key providers of wellbeing services in Central and Eastern Europe. The group is also a major operator of fitness clubs in six markets, and in Poland it is responsible for well-known networks, including Fabryka Formy, FitFabric, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place and Zdrofit. Benefit Systems’ mission is to inspire physical activity and care for health at every stage of life. That’s why the company runs numerous educational and health-promoting initiatives for children, adults, and seniors, including through the MultiSport Foundation. Its actions confirm that the role of a leader is not only about scale, but also about real social influence. Since 2018, Benefit Systems has been a member of the prestigious B Corp community, which brings together companies that adhere to the highest standards of responsibility and social involvement in their business. More information at benefitsystems.pl/en and biuroprasowe.benefitsystems.pl/releases/English.
