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

In order to promote fitness in kids, we need to make sure that they are getting ample physical exercise because it helps in building strength and confidence. It is very easy for school going children to be physically active, as they have the chance of participating in a number of activities and sports. You simply need to encourage the child, to find something that suits their interest, age, and personality. Lot of parents wonder, how much exercise their kid should be getting every day. Here is the fitness guideline that is recommended for school going to children:

• More than one hour of vigorous physical exercise that can be incorporated in p-lay and games
• Different bouts of physical activity for at least 15 minutes
• Avoiding inactivity for more than 2 hours, unless of course they are sleeping

Health and Fitness Activities for Kids

Practicing Fitness at Home

Fitness in Kids

If you are thinking about fitness, you can get your kids to think about sports. Here are some of health and fitness activities for kids to keep them moving inside the home:

• Make sure that physical activity is a part of their daily routine. You can ask them to run errands for you or can ask them to help you with every day chores.

• You should allow them ample time to play with their friends and siblings. Kids burn a lot of calories when they are left on their own. Some fun activities that every child loves include riding bicycle, playing tag, and building snowman during the winters.

• Make sure that they have all the proper equipment for the sports. You don’t have to buy expensive stuff to promote fitness or to plan health and fitness activities for kids; instead, you can get them jumping ropes, hula hopes, balls, and even a bicycle.

• Make sure that being active is something that everyone in the family practicing. You can’t expect your child to do something that you aren’t doing yourself.

• Limit all the sedentary activities to at least two hours and this includes watching TV, playing video games, and using gadgets.

If you feel that your child is very active, you can take them to the playground, because this is a great way for them to meet and play with other children.

Why Fitness Is Important

Fitness in kids is important because it helps them to learn about healthy completion, meeting challenges, learning about their true potential, learning about teamwork, and teaches them about the value of patience.

Exercise That Promote Fitness

Here are some of the exercises that will promote fitness in kids: 

  • Wrestling
  • Wheelbarrow, crab and bear-walk races
  • Tickle tag
  • Temper tantrum
  •  Sock skating 
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Pushover Parents
  • Popcorn pushups
  • Pillow fight
  • Parachute
  • Obstacle course
  • Jumping jacks
  • Jump rope
  • Hopscotch
  • Headstands
  • Hallway bowling
  • Freeze dance
  • Follow the leader
  • Dance party
  • Clean-up race
  • Carnival
  • Bubble wrap attackBubble bashing
  • Balloon ball
  • Animal races

These are just some of the health and fitness activities for kids that you can plan to keep them fit and healthy.