Kid-friendly exercising activities

Most parents would agree when we say we had more fun when we were kids than

the current digital generation ever did. You’re probably worried that your

child isn’t getting enough exercise.

At the same time, you’re probably stressing about whether there are kid-friendly

exercising activities for them.

Whatever activity gets your kid up and about is always good for them. Don’t think of it as just exercise, but as ‘exercise play.’ They aren’t supposed to do anything too rigorous. The important thing is to have fun while ‘working’ their little bodies. The truth is if kids see exercise as something fun to do, rather than a chore, they’re more likely to participate.

Besides, the CDC suggests that children between the ages of six and seventeen should participate in a minimum of one hour of aerobic, heart-pumping activities per day. This should also include one hour of muscle-boosting and bone-reinforcing activities three times per week.

Easy exercising activities for kids

So, what kid-friendly exercising activities are available?

Running

Races are the most common and obvious choice for a fun and kid-friendly physical activity. Chasing each other might look easy, but it can be exerting. Races are healthy exercising activities for your kids because it helps them strengthen their muscles and develop strong bones. It is also fun!

You can arrange running contests for your kids and their friends with a victory prize attached. The venue can be your backyard, the local park, or any area around your house. You can have a one-legged race, a crab walk race, a sack race, a skipping rope race, and so on. Just make it fun and safe for the kids.

Go back and hit it

This is another running exercise that can be interesting for your kids. The rule of the game is that once you shout ‘go,’ your kids and their friends run forward along with their designated spaces. You can use objects to demarcate their spaces.

Afterward, call ‘Back,’ so they have to run in the opposite direction of the room. Lastly, when you call ‘Hit it!’ they have to do something different like a squat, jump, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. Allow the kids to choose what exercise to incorporate into the ‘hit it’ section.

Obstacle course

This is another kid-friendly game to try. This game demands that participants run through a course, while negotiating obstacles to be crawled under, climbed up, crossed on, jumped over, etc. This was originally used for training soldiers but can be fun for kids too.

You don’t have to go crazy with it. Just arrange some of your furniture, draw out a course on the floor, and time the whole game. The course can range from the inside of your house to your backyard.

Likewise, you can have a water obstacle course using balloons and lots of water or a backyard obstacle course using house buckets, garden planters, and other tools that helps you build a fun and challenging obstacle course.

Include challenges to the course such as a puzzle to be solved, a forbidden area that requires participants to start afresh, a wide area to be crossed, and so on. Obstacle courses are good for kids because they build their thinking and problem-solving skills.

Squats

Obviously, squats help with muscle-building, particularly on your calves, legs, quadriceps, and hamstrings. They also initiate an anabolic environment that stimulates whole muscle building. Kids can also enjoy squats. Make them bend their knees but not too far.

This exercise helps children build stamina, self-confidence, and strength. It also gives them a nice foundation for other exercising activities and sports. You can include jumps into the squats by making kids jump in between squats.

You can also get creative with the squats and lunges.

Try a hot seat squat. Place an ottoman or stool at their backs while they squat. Once their bum grazes the seat, ask them to stand immediately. “Hot Seat Squats” are so-called because no one wants their bum to get burned!

Kids will find these exercises exciting fun because they have to use their imagination for the hot seat. They aren’t just developing their muscles they are learning to be creative.

How about a squat relay? Make your kids and their friends stand facing each other at opposite sides of the room. Once you say ‘Go’, they’ll all run to the center of the room and squat. They can do three squats, giving each other high-fives in between each squat. Afterward, they go back to the starting point and start again.

The idea of the high-fives I to build their social interactions. If you have a large group, ensure that each kid high-fives a different friend in the center during each round.

Dance party

Okay, what kid doesn’t enjoy dancing to loud music and shouting at the top of their voice? This is one of the easiest activities for kids to burn some calories and have fun. All you need is a good playlist and extremely loud music.

Add snacks to the party and gather your kids and their friends. What host throws a party without something to eat? You can also do this during family time.

Jumps

You can’t stop children from playing except they are sick. For some reason, children love jumping around. Different studies have proven that exercising activities and jumping go hand-in-hand.

Jumping is beneficial for kids because it helps improve their hand and eye coordination as well as their motor skills. It helps kids to improve their flexibility and posture. Moreover, kids who have time to jump around are cheerier and stronger and have better mental health.

You can make jumping fun for your kids.

Jumping Jacks is a famous jumping exercise. Have your kids stretch their legs and arms out to the side in the same way as a starfish while jumping. However, on the second jump, instruct your kids to put back their arms to the sides and their legs to focus on landing.
In Criss-Cross Feet, kids have to jump straight up, then cross one foot in front of the other. However, on the second jump, they have to change feet and repeat.
Tuck Jumps, involves bending your knees and lifting your heels high while jumping.
One-foot jump requires the child to bend one knee while he/she jumps and lands standing on one leg. The bent legs can be alternated in the course of the jump. This helps the child to learn balance!

Final thoughts

You can’t totally stop kids from playing digital games, watching TV, pressing their tabs, or doing all the digital things kids do. Unless you place a ban on them or something. However, we can’t watch them grow up unfit and overweight. Regular exercise is important. You can only get your kids to participate when the exercising activities are fun and captivating. Don’t forget to follow up your kid’s exercise with stretches to strengthen their muscles and bones.