Promoting Kids’ Physical Fitness: Benefits, Exercises, Activities
Gone are the days when children would ‘Go outside to play.’
In the olden days, getting their kids to return home for dinner from Playtime, was a task for parents. Now, they struggle to get children out of their ‘rooms’.
Children lost to the virtual worlds they inhabit.
If you place a great deal of emphasis on your fitness, you want to know this: Exercise is as valuable to children, as it is to us adults. The last thing you want to do is encourage them to sit on the couch and watch too much TV. And think things like, ‘He’s only a child. He will burn all that fat later.’
In this article you will find all the information to keep your kids active and healthy. Before we do that, let us take a few moments to understand just ‘why’ Physical Fitness for Kids is ever so important.
The Importance of Physical Fitness for Children
Here are some of the most vital benefits of Physical Fitness for Children, that will serve to get your children off that couch, and ‘Up and running’!
Reduces their risk of becoming obese
Physical activity does a great job in burning those unused calories, thereby preventing them from being stored as fat.
Builds endurance
Regular exercise goes a long way in helping children develop strong muscles and bones, too.
Gives them a healthier heart
A lack of exercise serves to put undue stress on the heart, which might lead to cardiovascular problems in the future.
Reduces the risk of children developing other serious conditions
Apart from helping prevent cardiovascular disease, exercise also reduces their risk of developing high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes.
Gives them more energy
Regular exercise helps improve circulation, giving children a much-needed boost in their energy levels.
Helps them develop stronger lungs
When kids exercise, they are taking in more oxygen and expelling more carbon dioxide. This is great for their lung health, as it improves their lung capacity.
Improves their sleep at night
Did you know that regular exercise can positively impact your child’s quality of sleep? All the more reason, then, to get them up and moving every day.
Promotes better emotional health
Children who exercise regularly, make for happier children. All those endorphins released in the brain post-exercise, helps keep children more optimistic, and significantly decreases their chances of falling prey to depression.
Physical Fitness Exercises for Kids
After seeing all the benefits of physical fitness, you must be eager to know the kind of exercises your child can begin with.
Here are the very best of those exercises that will help them embark on a lifetime journey of Fitness.
Running
Just about the simplest exercise there is for kids, it also serves to perfectly complement their Need for Speed.
To do: Encourage kids to run outdoors, or even in the hallway if they are at home. Tip: You might want to change this up a bit by having them running in place with their feet very close to the ground.
Squats
Some children find squatting funny, and that will encourage them to happily indulge in this most wonderful exercise.
To do: Getting your child to do squats regularly, will help them manage their obesity over time. Note: Doing squats is in fact an effective Strength Training Exercise that requires several muscles in the upper and lower body to work simultaneously.
Jumping
If they don’t want to Run, let them Jump!
To do: Here are a couple of ideas that you can use, to make jumping even more fun!
- Tell your kids to jump like a frog or kangaroo with you.
- Instead of playing Freeze Dance, play Freeze Jump. All you have to do is turn on some music, and jump when it’s on and stop when it’s off.
Skipping
This effective exercise goes a long way in helping improve agility and stamina in children.
To do: You have to ensure that you choose the right skipping rope. This means that it must not be too long, and should nearly reach the shoulders when folded in half. Note: You must also make sure the handles are comfortable to grip.
Bear Crawls
These full-body movements are great for increasing strength and coordination. Needless to say, your child will ‘jump’ at the prospect of being able to ‘crawl’ like a bear!’
To do: Here’s how to best do that bear crawl!
- Get down like a bear on all fours, both hands and feet on the ground.
- Keep your arms shoulder-width apart, your feet in the air.
- Starting with your right hand and left foot, move forward. Then proceed with your left hand and right foot.
Physical Fitness Activities for Kids
It’s time to Amp up Physical Fitness for Kids, with these wonderful Physical Fitness Activities for Kids.
- Cycling. There’s no better activity than cycling, to get that daily dose of vitamin D and that adrenaline pumping!
- Animal Walk. Move over Bear Crawls, you can get your children to move like other animals, too. For instance, ‘slithering like a snake’ or ‘hopping like a frog.’
- Outdoor Scavenger hunt. Go on a scavenger hunt in the outdoors with your child, and see how many items on a list they can find. Note: You want to keep that list as diverse as you possibly can. With things like ‘Something Prickly’, ‘Brown Stone’ and ‘Plastic Bottle.’
- Have a Dance Party. Did you know that plenty of calories are burned when you dance? Sometimes all you need to exercise is to crank up the volume and get grooving!
- Play Tag. One person becomes ‘It’, and the others have to run after them and ‘Tag’ them. The person who does the tagging, is the new ‘It’.
We at EuroKids believe that children who exercise regularly, are also better able to handle any physical or emotional challenges that might come their way. We encourage you to use at least a few of the tips outlined here, to help your kids become healthier, happier versions of themselves.
