We all need exercise in our lives.
Children should do 60 minutes of exercise 3 times a week, ideally.
But it needs to be suitable, accessible and safe exercise for them and their age and size.
Sometimes it’s not easy to know what that is.
Here are 4 basic exercises that are great for kids to practice.
They’re classic, but they are classic for a reason.
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Jumping
This could be with a jump rope, on a trampoline or simply just jumping on the ground.
Whatever it is, it is great for your child’s physical and mental health.
Jumping is good cardio, and uses the muscles in the legs.
It is also been shown to increase mood and energy levels in both children and adults alike.
Maybe we should be giving it a go too…
Stretching
An easy and relaxed way for a child to exercise is to do some stretching. This is a great activity for you to do with them, as you can help them by showing them where to strectch, how to do it, and explain why it helps.
Kids get themselves into all sorts of shapes, and regular stretching will keep them from getting cramps and injuries as easily.
It is also good for their growing bodies and muscles.
You can get them into yoga if you want to take things a step farther. There are plenty of online and real-life classes for children’s yoga to help you if you don’t know where to start with this.
Just make sure they don’t stretch too far or over-extend themselves, and there’s nothing to worry about.
Running
You can’t go wrong with running as an exercise.
However, children might not be so up for running laps or marathons straight away.
You can help them get into it by incorporting running into games and competitions.
Try doing it with them too to encourage them and help them out.
You can try racing eachother or you can cycle alongside them while they run.
Running blows off a lot of steam and it is good for children to use up their energy. It is a good cardio workout, and the best thing about it is that it is absolutely free.
You don’t need to even win the races to be getting all the great benefits from running.
Playing Games
Possibly the best way to get children to engage with exercise is to combine it with games and play. Children will naturally want to play more than they will take to the idea of “exercise”. Keep your focus on letting them have fun and be free, and the exercise will come as a natural by-product.
In your garden or in a park you can get your child to play games such as football, rounders, tennis, hide and seek, and anything else you can come up with.
Exercise your child’s imagination at the same time and let them come up with some games to play. As long as they are moving their bodies and being active, it doesn’t really matter what they are actually doing.
Having a healthy lifestyle can be fun, and this is a good thing for children to learn at an early age. The more fun they have being active children, the more likely they are to grow up to be active adults.
