Exercising with Kids

Today more than ever, kids must be encouraged to start exercising. With the rise of technology, children may be less inclined to get out and move their bodies. However, research shows keeping kids active leads to stronger muscles and bones, lower blood sugar, and an improved mood. These are all essential in a child’s development and can be achieved through light, easy exercise. The three elements of fitness to focus on with your child are endurance, strength and flexibility.

Endurance

The easiest of the three elements for children to maintain, endurance can be achieved through aerobic activities. Aerobic activities utilize large muscles, increase heart rate, and cause heavy breathing. Games such as tag or sports such as basketball will allow your child to develop endurance while doing something fun and engaging. 

Strength

Building strength doesn’t have to come from weights. A child’s body weight is sufficient for most exercises including push-ups, crunches, and pull-ups. For exercise your child might find more engaging, try using an exercise ball. With an exercise ball you can do supermans where your child lays on their stomach across the ball then alternates lifting their right arm/left leg and left arm/right leg. Another easy exercise is hand crawls, in which the child lays across the ball on their stomach with their legs up and hands on the floor. From there, have them use their hands to move themselves in a circle. Both of these exercises develop core and arm strength.

Flexibility

Children can do simple stretches to increase flexibility. Try making a challenge out of becoming more flexible, whether that be reaching for their toes or doing the splits. Have your child attempt these stretches regularly and praise them for their progress as they get closer to touching their toes or achieving a full split. More simple stretches include having your child lay on their back and hug each knee to their chest or leaning onto a wall with both hands, one leg extended behind them, and the other slightly bent until they feel a stretch in their extended leg.

Gavin, M. L. (Ed.). (2018, June). Kids and Exercise. KidsHealth. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/exercise.html. 

Cooper, D. (2019, October 15). Therapy Ball Exercises for Children. SportsRec. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.sportsrec.com/therapy-ball-exercises-children-5438509.html. 

Nationwide Children's Hospital. (n.d.). Exercises: Stretching. Nationwide Children's Hospital. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources/helping-hands/exercises-stretching.