Whether you like it or not, providing kid friendly exercises isn't an option to consider. Regular exercising is an integral part of building a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is not meant for adults alone as there are kid friendly exercises for all ages. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates regular exercise for children because it offers several benefits, including stronger bones and joints, more energy, improved flexibility, and greater muscle strength.
Besides the benefits mentioned above, studies have shown that easy exercise for kids helps decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and being overweight. While many consider how strenuous physical exercise can be for kids, they do have the capacity to handle at least one hour of exercise daily.
If you find yourself contemplating what exercise is suitable for your kids, this article contains exercises to do at home. In addition, you will learn important ways to motivate your child to stay focused in exercising every day. Before going further, let’s look at how much exercise your child can take based on their age.
- If your child is a toddler, we recommend one hour of active play daily
- For preschool kids between 3 to 6 years, we recommend having at least 2 hours of daily exercising.
- Children to teenagers between 6 to 19 years can perform 60 minutes of daily exercise with one hour of muscle-strengthening activity thrice a week.
Best Physical Kid Friendly Exercises for all Ages
Physical exercises for kids help increase heart rate, which indirectly increases oxygen consumption. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate at least an hour of daily aerobic exercise. Let's explore some of the exercises for kids that will help improve their overall health condition. Without further ado, let's get started.
Running
Running is an indoor exercise for kids. It might look like a simple task, but it is a fun exercise to do at home. You don’t have to take your kids outside for this task. You can chase each other within your home. Running is helpful for kids as it helps strengthen their muscles and build strong bones. Depending on your kid’s age, you can increase the intensity as it burns a lot of energy.
Furthermore, it also requires more effort from the muscles, lungs, and hearts. If you are scared of your kid’s safety, you can set up your backyard with outdoor playsets. Interestingly, you can use it for various activities that will build your child physically.
Instructions on kids running
Here, you have to keep things light. A simple warm-up like doing arm swings or jumping will help. This will help prepare their muscles and prep them for a good run. Always instruct your kids to look ahead when running to avoid tripping. Ensure they use their mid-foot to land instead of the toes to avoid making the calves tighter.
In addition, keep their feet pointed straight with their hands toward the waistline level when running. On the other hand, the arms and hands should stay relaxed when running.
Benefits of Running for Kids
- Helps fight depression
- Boosts confidence
- Maintains weight
- Tones the leg
- Relieves stress
Skipping
Skipping is effective during the morning as it can improve agility, fitness, and stamina. Besides this, it also helps improve blood circulation in the body and relieve stress. Your kids during this stage need something to boost their brains, and skipping is a fantastic booster. When skipping, both the right and left brains get engaged, which leads to improved functioning. In addition, it also improves coordination and balance in a child.
There are several skipping games to incorporate as a fun workout for kids. For instance, you can play the obstacle skipping course game. It will require setting up obstacle courses with accessible items, such as a ball, table, or pot. Alternatively, you can time the skipping to check their duration or stamina level. You can get a trampoline for kids if you think jumping is preferable to skipping.
Instruction on Skipping with Kids
Firstly, you need to get a rope that isn’t too long. It should reach your kid’s shoulders when folded. To provide a comfortable grip, the ropes should have handles at the end. Advice your kid to stand while holding the end of the rope. Extend the forearms and hands a foot away from their body.
The child should use their wrists without moving the hand to swing the rope over their head. Once the rope gets close to the feet, hop over it. When jumping, don't bend your knees. You need a place without any obstruction to perform this exercise for kids.
Benefits of Skipping for Kids
- Prevents osteoporosis
- Regulates the heart rate
- Improves agility, balance, and coordination
- Tones the lower and upper body muscles
Squatting
Like skipping, squatting builds several muscles in your lower and upper body. It's full strength exercise for both your leg and hands. If your kids seem to be overweight, squatting might help manage obesity and weight loss. Most kids find squatting as one of the fun exercises to do at home.
Instruction for Squatting for kids
Instruction for performing squatting will differ from that of an adult. While an adult can withstand more than 10 minutes, it will be problematic for kids. Before starting, ensure your kid's feet shoulders are wide apart. Instruct them to bend with the knees. It's like sitting on a chair while your hands are spread straight.
Pull the abs and allow your back to remain straight. Furthermore, push the hips backward and lower, depending on how comfortable it is. Finally, let them inhale while rising and exhale during lowering. You can continue the process pending when they are tired or reach the set timeframe.
Benefits of Squatting for kids
- Maintains body weight and burns unnecessary fat
- Improve blood circulation
- It helps build strength and endurance
- Boost digestive system
- No cellulite formation
Push-ups and sit-downs
Push-up is a body-moving exercise for kids; it offers a complete workout for the entire body. During push-ups and sit-downs, several muscle groups, including the hips, abdomen, legs, arms, and chests, get exercised simultaneously. Kids like fun things. You can incorporate fun into your push-ups to spice things up.
Instruction for Push-ups kids
Ask your kid to lie down on the floor using their face. Their body weight will be on the chest. Ensure you place their palms down on the floor while asking them to raise their body with their arms. Lower their torso as they go down on the floor once their elbows make a 90° angle.
For effective results, their head should face upward while their body remains straight throughout the period. Ensure they take air in as they move downward and out when rising. Continue the process as they lower and lift steadily.
Benefits of Push-ups for kids
- Improves body posture
- Prevents back injuries
- It helps build body muscle
- Excellent for the cardiovascular system
Stretching
If you are always busy as a parent but want a routine exercise for your kid, stretching is a less time-consuming kid friendly exercises you need. Despite being safe, it also helps improve posture awareness and flexibility. Stretching is a routine for all exercises and can come in handy, especially when you need something quick and easy.
Instruction for Stretching for kids
Allow your child to sit with their back in a straight position. Stretch both legs as wide as possible. Remember, you don't have to overstretch the leg. Let it be as comfortable as it can be. Use their right hand to hold their right knee while lifting their left hand to the top of the head. Furthermore, instruct your child to lean towards the right while their left hand is on the top of their head.
In this position, stretch towards the left part as much as possible. Breathing should be normal. After some minutes, let them sit with their back straight and repeat the process on the other side.
Benefits of Stretching for Kids
- Reduces muscles tension
- Improve blood circulation
- Improve muscles coordination
- Increases the range of joint movement
Overhead Shoulder Stretch
Unlike stretching, in the overhead shoulder stretch exercise for kids, your child will be in a standing position. The right hand is stretched to the back of the left shoulder while the left-hand rests on the right hand's elbow. It is one of the best kid friendly exercises for all ages as it helps strengthen their muscles.
Instruction for Stretching for kids
Instruct your child to stand straight while slightly stretching backward with chest forward and feet shoulder wide apart. Raise the right arm and place it behind the neck while using your left hand to hold your right elbow. Then gently pull behind the head and relax in the position. Repeat the process with the left arm and relax your body before continuing again.
Benefits of Stretching for Kids
- Releases stress in the body
- Improve shoulder muscle flexibility
- Helps in blood circulation
- Increases range of body movement
Conclusion
You don't have to hire a professional to start kid friendly exercises as you can perform these tasks at home. These exercises in this article can help improve your child's health and physical development. Make it a duty for your child to exercise for fun on a daily or weekly basis. Initially, you might need to encourage your kid since it is something they are used to.
However, if you work out with your spouse, you can turn it into a family bonding time. Getting started with kid friendly exercises doesn't stop with the exercises mentioned above; you can include activities such as lawn tennis, skating, football, or karate. The main objective is to improve body exercise, promote muscles, increase blood circulation, and improve flexibility.