7 Best Exercises for Kids to Keep Them Active and Healthy

Exercises are beneficial for both adults and children. Statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 4.5 million children from the age of 3 to 17 years are suffering from an anxiety disorder. According to the 2009 research study, children who do exercises have good mental health as compared to those who don’t. Therefore, exercises are important for children as well.

What kinds of exercises are good for your children? Of course, they can’t do those rigorous exercises. To find an answer from a valid person, I contacted my friend Nabeel who is a certified child specialist in Islamabad. After a detailed discussion, I got a list of exercises that are beneficial for every child.

7 Easy and Simple Exercises for Kids

Heavyweight exercise can stunt the growth therefore it is important to promote easy and simple exercises among children. Light exercises like running, jumping, squats, skipping, sit-ups, push-ups, bear crawl, stretching, and yoga all are beneficial for building strength and muscles at a young age. Let’s get into the detail of these exercises below.

       1. Running

Running is a simple exercise and kids love running. The amount of energy our kids have is fascinating and therefore we should encourage them to play and run around. Running is beneficial as it helps in building the bones and also in strengthening the muscles.

For engaging your child in the running, just start the chasing game. A little fun in the exercise makes it easy to keep them healthy.

       2. Jumping

When I was a kid I used to jump a lot. Jumping helps in building endurance, muscles, and heart’s health. If you are one of those parents who worries a lot and stops their children from jumping then you have to encourage such kinds of exercises.

You can promote exercises like jumping jacks, tuck jumps, and skipping among your children.

       3. Squats

Another exercise that will keep your child healthy and fit is squats. Squats are also good for adults as well. Squats are good for building strength in the legs. It also boosts confidence and body stamina. To protect your child from falling back just place the chai5. r behind them. You will see the improvement gradually.

       4. Skipping

During my childhood skipping was the best exercise for me. Although at that time it was more like a game than an exercise. Therefore you can also use skipping for keeping your child active. Skipping boosts mental health and builds the core muscles of the body. As this exercise involves all the muscles therefore it is helpful for building the overall strength of the body.

Start a skipping contest in your home for building the interest of your child in this exercise.

      7.l 5. Sit-Ups and Push-Ups

Sit-ups and push-ups are also good for building the strengths of legs and arms. Besides these exercises, you can also add planks to their exercise schedule. Planks are good for keeping their abdominal strong. Your children can also try different variations of crunches like bicycle crunches and abdominal crunches.

Use the stopwatch app on your mobile to track their performance. Such bodyweight exercises promote good muscle strength.  

       6. Bear Crawl

If your children don’t like sit-ups, push-ups or planks then make them do all these exercises in a fun way. How? Make them walk like a bear. It sounds great and fun. The bear crawl is a whole-body exercise. It builds the strength of the arms, legs, and abdominal also. To keep them engaged it’s better to perform these exercises with them.

       7. Stretching and Yoga

Stretching and yoga are not just for adult people but it can also be done by children and youngsters. Both stretching and yoga are helpful for building the strength and flexibility of the muscles. The breathing exercises will help your child to improve the mental health and they can easily cope with any stressful situation.

Summing Up

If you are worried about your child’s health then engage your child in the light exercises. By adding the fun element in the exercise you can build the interest of your child in that exercise. Promote the above-mentioned exercises among your children for keeping them fit and healthy.

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Children are more influenced by what they see therefore as a parent you are a role model and you should also perform these exercises along with them.