Fitness Fun for Little Ones

We can all agree that our children have way more energy than they (and we) can handle. They need a healthy outlet. We need to teach them the importance of living a healthy lifestyle early on, right? Let’s be honest, there are a lot of us who regretted not taking better care of ourselves when we were younger. I know I do. But I am trying to make smarter choices for myself, my children, and my family.   

It is especially hard to teach a special needs child about the importance of exercising and healthy decisions since there are so many barriers involved in their lives. This is one of the reasons I wanted to make a list with a variety of ideas.

When you convince your child that exercising is important, they will learn many of the benefits of making healthy choices. Some of the benefits of exercise for children are as follows: 

• Strengthens lungs 

• Regulates blood pressure 

• Gives them confidence 

• Cardio benefits the heart 

• Improves memory, attention, and processing speed 

• Less weight gain (less chance of obesity) 

• Can lower (and prevent) depression 

• Better bone health 

• Better balance 

• Teaches them to set goals 

• Physical activity helps people think, sleep, and feel better 

• Prevents and reduces other health problems 

I wrote this post to provide some ideas for fun exercises to get kids on the fast track to healthy living. My little ones have fun joining in on yoga with me, which is good for them and entertaining for me. These ideas are indoor and outdoor ideas. So here is a list of fun fitness ideas for kids. I hope that you find some that your children might enjoy as they are all different in their own way.

• Scavenger hunt  

• Dancing-Creating your own dance moves or Fortnite dancing 

• Hoola-hooping  

• Pop bubbles 

• Classic games like duck duck goose and musical chairs

• Yoga (there are some great yoga channels for parents to do with their kids on YouTube) 

• No-equipment exercises (jumping jacks, push-ups, etc.) 

• Go to a skating rink/ice skating 

• Balance beam- you could use masking tape on the carpet or wooden boards outside, there are just so many ways you could go with this one. 

• Hot potato 

• Follow the leader 

• Musical chairs 

• Twister 

• Create your own live-action board game (where you are your own game piece) 

• Relay races 

• Jump roping 

• Pillow fight

• Tag 

• Hopscotch 

• Frisbee/frisbee golf 

• Take them to the park 

• Ride bikes or scooters 

• Play a traditional sport (basketball, soccer, football, etc.) 

• Trampoline 

• Wash the car 

• Go for a walk. Or even better, a nature walk 

• Go swimming 

• Cardboard sword fight (Viking battle) 

• Obstacle course (which you could use several of these ideas for) 

• Go to the YMCA or local gym 

Not only is the exercise good for them, but they will love the opportunity to be wildly active and burn off some steam. I believe it creates a stronger bond between us and our children when we participate in experiences like these with them. It shows them that we will always be there for them...even when we aren’t feeling as enthusiastic as they are.  

Just a little bit more information for all of you who may be interested, according to The World Health Organization (WHO) these are the guidelines for physical activity for children: 

• Infants- Several times a day, for babies not yet mobile this includes tummy time throughout the day when they are not asleep. They recommend that they not be restrained for more than one hour at a time (car seat, stroller, etc.) ...I wouldn't want to be either. With sleep also being considered here, they say babies 0-3 months should have 14-17 hours of sleep, and babies 4-11 months should have 12-16 hours. This is with naps included and uninterrupted. 

• 1-4 Years Old- At least 180 minutes (about 3 hours) of different types of physical activity. Also, they should not be restrained for more than an hour. Toddlers 1-2 should have a regular sleep time of 11-14 hours and 3–4-year-olds 10-13 hours.  

• School Age Kids (5-17yrs)- School-age children should get one hour of moderate to strong physical activity daily. It also says that three times a week they should focus on exercises for muscle and bone health. 

• Children & Adolescents Living with a Disability- On average one hour of moderate to strong physical activity per day. They recommend mostly aerobics. 

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This information also has some recommendations on limiting screen time for all ages, but I say to each their own. I think most parents of special needs children will agree that screen time is sometimes much needed so that we can accomplish something each day as well. Additionally, there is info on the guidelines for adults and adults living with disabilities at this link if you wish to read more about it. 

I hope this post was super helpful to anyone who ended up here. Put all that energy in your kids to good use and teach them healthy habits along the way!