Teaching Kids About Exercise

When adults think about exercise, we usually imagine the gym, running or a treadmill, or lifting weights. It is important you know that for kids, exercise is being physically active and having fun. So how will you teach the children about exercise? Let’s find out!

Teaching kids about exercise

Teach Them the Benefits of Exercise

Here are some of the benefits of exercise that kids need to know about. When teaching kids about exercise, tell them that they will have:

  • Won’t be overweight
  • Won’t be at a risk of developing diabetes
  • Will live a better life
  • Will have low cholesterol and blood pressure
  • Will have a leaner body and minimum body fat
  • Strong bones and muscles
  • Will sleep better


Elements of Fitness

If you want the kids to learn more about exercise, you need to teach them about all the small details. The three elements of fitness are:

  • Strength
  • Flexibility
  • Endurance

 

Now the main question is how can you develop all these elements when teaching kids about exercise? Here is how:

 

Endurance

The kids will develop endurance when they will do aerobics that will increase their heart rate and will deliver oxygen to all the cells of the body. Here are some sports that they can practice:

  • walking
  • tennis
  • swimming
  • soccer
  • running
  • jogging
  • inline skating
  • ice skating
  • bicycling
  • basketball

KIDS EXERCISE

Strength

Strength doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to lift heavy weights. Lifting weights is great, but it should only be done under the supervision of an adult. Kids don’t need to lift heavy weights in order to be strong, because at their age it is all about eating a healthy diet and doing some regular exercise. The kids can do the following exercises to strengthen their muscles:

  • stomach crunches
  • Push-ups
  •  pull-ups

Flexibility

Flexibility is improved with the help of stretching exercises. When you stretch to your maximum potential, the joints and the muscles bend and you get a full range of motion. Encourage your kids to stretch every day, even if it only for five minutes.

Sedentary Lifestyle Is a Problem

One of the main problems that we are facing today is that our lifestyle is sedentary, which means that we are not moving as much as we used to, and the same goes for the kids. Kids these days watch TV for over seven hours, which means that they are not getting the right amount of exercise. When teaching kids about exercise, make sure that you encourage the kids to exercise and limit their TV time to maximum two hours per day.

Why Exercise Is Important

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has provided the following guideline:

Age Minimum Daily Activity Comments
Infant No requirements Helps With motor Development
Toddler 1.5 hours Half an hour of planned activity and one hour of unplanned physical activity
Preschooler 2 hours One hour of planned activity and one hour of unplanned physical activity
School age More than 1 hour With a break after every 15 minutes
CATEGORY: Exercises for Kids, Kids Fitness

Editorial Team

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