Exercise is essential for your children’s physical wellbeing, as it helps build strength and lowers the likelihood of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, or Type 2 diabetes.
Thankfully, there are a few fun and effective workouts for kids that you can do at home with them. Here are five to try with your little one:
Coordination
Consistently providing kids with coordinated activities is an excellent way to help them build healthy habits. Furthermore, these exercises promote mental focus, counting, rhythm and motor planning.
Bilateral coordination refers to using both sides of your body simultaneously for a task. These skills are necessary for everyday activities like eating, walking and playing.
Jumping with a rope is an excellent workout for kids to build bilateral coordination as it requires them to use both their hands and feet muscles simultaneously. Step over the rope, swing it around with your hands, then jump as many times as you can in one continuous movement.
Climbing exercises are another great coordination exercise that can be done at home or in a playground. Children can climb up a rope ladder, stairs or the ladder on top of a bunk bed for some added fun!
Balance
Balance is the ability to maintain one’s body upright and steady when moving or standing still. Children must learn this fundamental skill before they can progress onto more advanced gross motor activities like negotiating stairs, hopping, galloping or skipping.
Balance problems can be caused by a variety of conditions, but most can be managed through diet, exercise, proper hydration and medication management. If you notice any changes in your balance while taking medications or eating nutritiously, speak to your doctor as this could indicate an underlying issue.
To help develop your child’s coordination and balance, you can incorporate some fun games into their routine. For instance, have them play freeze dance – where they must keep their body moving while then freeze when the music stops.
Therapy balls can also be used to develop core strength and balance in children who struggle with balance. Weak core muscles often lead to poor posture as well as decreased self-worth.
Flexibility
Flexibility is a critical element of fitness that should not be neglected. Unlike cardiovascular conditioning and weight training, flexibility targets the joints of the body.
After exercising, kids should always stretch to help their muscles recover and reduce the likelihood of injury.
You can encourage your child to warm up their muscles before physical activity by jogging or walking for five to 10 minutes. This will increase blood circulation and make stretching easier.
Stretching as part of a workout regimen will help your child increase their flexibility, leading to improved performance. There are many ways to stretch, so make sure they get plenty of variety during their sessions.
Cardio
Physical exercise for kids can take many forms, from running and stair climbing to walking at a fast pace and swimming. Any activity that gets their heart rates up and breathing hard will provide beneficial exercise benefits.
Cardio is an integral component of any physical fitness routine, as it benefits many aspects of health such as heart health, mood regulation, sleep quality and metabolism. Furthermore, cardiovascular exercises help build strength and endurance over time.
Furthermore, melatonin helps reduce stress and anxiety levels, potentially aiding in the fight against mental illnesses like depression or anxiety.
It’s recommended that kids and teens get 60 minutes of physical activity daily, so adding cardio to their weekly schedule can be beneficial. Don’t forget to also incorporate strength training and stretching into the mix as well.
