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A well-balanced diet and exercising are very important for the proper growth and development of young children. With the advent of technological advancement, most children are investing their times in the modern gadgets rather than spending their time outdoors. These lifestyle changes are making children more prone to various health problems and obesity is at the top of the list. In the following article, we shall discuss various exercises for kids and how your kid can benefit from it.
Why Should Children Exercise?
Exercising is not only important for physical well-being but it is equally important for a child’s mental development also. Here are some benefits of exercise for children:
- It helps in building better focus.
- It helps in strengthening the immunity of children.
- Keeps the children in high spirits and happy mood due to the release of feel good hormon called endorphins.
- Improves kid’s heart health and keeps cardiovascular problems at bay.
- It helps in strengthening the lungs of the kids.
- Helps in keeping the cholesterol levels under check.
- It is effective in regulating the blood pressure in children.
- It helps in maintaining a good brain health and also helps in enhancing memory in children.
- It is effective in warding off obesity.
- It is beneficial in improving bone and brain health.
- It helps in preventing various types of cancers in children.
- It helps in releasing the good hormones and purging the bad ones.
- It aids in fighting the kids from various infections and allergies.
- It helps in better blood circulation and thus more oxygen in the blood.
- It induces better sleep in children.
You may observe that children seldom enjoy exercising and would want to bail out by making various excuses. The best you can do it make exercising times into fun times.
How Much Do Kids Need to Exercise?
When it comes to exercising, there are three important aspects that need consideration; they are endurance, flexibility, and strength. This means that when you engage your kids in any form of physical exercise, you need to pay heed to these three factors. However, there is one more factor that needs consideration and that is how much exercise your kid should do in order to remain fit and healthy. On an average, a kid should engage one hour every day in doing any kind of physical exercise. However, it may vary as per the age of the child such as:
- A toddler may require approximately 90 minutes of exercising a day, which may involve 30 minutes of structured physical activity and 60 minutes any unstructured physical activity also known as free play.
- A kindergartener or preschooler may require an hour each of structured and unstructured physical activity.
- A school going kid may require an hour of daily physical activity that may be divided into the 15 to 20 minutes of bouts or more.
10 Fun and Easy Exercises for Children with Their Health Benefits
We shall now discuss some fun and easy exercises for children that your kids will surely love to engage in. Here is the list of exercises for kids:
1. Swimming
Swimming can aptly be termed as the most loved physical exercise for kids. This water-based fun exercise should be carried out at least three to four hours after meals. Here are some of the benefits of swimming for young kids.
Benefits
- It is a good breathing exercise and also helps the kids in keeping off obesity.
- It is good for building endurance and better muscle strength.
- It is also beneficial for improving digestion.
2. Skating
Kids love to move around on wheels and here are some of the benefits of skating for your little champs.
Benefits
- It helps in strengthening thigh, shin and hip muscles of the kids.
- The added stress to the thighs, shins, and hips helps in making these muscles stronger.
- Regular practice helps in building focus and stability.
- It is a good aerobic exercise for kids and helps in keeping the body fit and healthy.
3. Cycling
Cycling is not only one of the best ways of commuting but it is a great physical exercise for kids. Here are some of the many benefits of cycling.
Benefits
- It helps in releasing the feel-good hormone in the body and keeps your kid in high spirits.
- It is a great way of staying fit and keeping off the extra weight.
- It helps in building better thigh, shin, and hip muscles.
- Intense cycling sessions help in lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
- It helps in improving blood circulation and thus improves brain and heart health.
- Cycling helps in keeping blood sugar levels under control and thus extremely beneficial for kids suffering from diabetes.
4. Skipping
Kids enjoy this form of hippy-hoppity fun exercise. Kids may take some time to master the correct technique of skipping and once they do, they will have loads of fun. Here are some benefits of skipping.
Benefits
- Repetitive jumping movements help in strengthening calf, thigh and leg muscles.
- Apart from a great exercise, skipping is a good fun activity for your kids.
- Children who suffer from ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can benefit immensely from this form of exercise.
- It also aids in channelizing the kid’s energy in a right manner.
5. Jogging
You can engage your kid to go jogging with you every day. This is one of the easiest and best forms of exercising. Here are some jogging benefits for your little one.
Benefits
- It helps in developing better immunity and helps your kid fight various illnesses.
- It helps in elevating your kid’s mood.
- It is beneficial for your kid’s heart and brain health.
6. Dancing
Dancing or dance exercise is a great way of keeping your kid hale and hearty. Here are some of the benefits of dancing for the kids.
Benefits
- It is a total body work out and also a fun way of indulging in an indoor exercise.
- The dance movements require precision and thus it helps in improving concentration.
- It is a great way of losing body fat.
- It is a fun activity that all kids love to engage in.
7. Going Up And Down The Stairs
As easy as it may sound but going up and down the stairs is a great work out of kids. You can turn it into an interesting game and involve your kid’s friends too. Here are some benefits of climbing stairs.
Benefits
- It is a great breathing exercise and also helps in building stamina in kids.
- It is an effective way of losing some extra body weight.
- It helps in improving bone and heart health of young children.
8. Basketball
You can take your kid to a basketball court and engage in this ball game. Though younger children may struggle in handling the ball it is a great way of doing a physical workout even for younger kids. Here are some of the benefits of playing basketball.
Benefits
- Throwing the ball helps in improving upper arm strength.
- It helps in improving stamina and endurance in children.
- It helps in keeping the body weight in check and also keeps the body toned.
9. Fun With Running Games
There are many games that involve running and it is a great way of engaging kids in some outdoor activities. Here are some running benefits for children.
Benefits
- It is a great way of burning excess body fat and to stay fit.
- It helps in toning the muscles.
- It helps in improving heart health.
10. Badminton
Racquet games are good for young children and kids enjoy them too. Here are some benefits of playing badminton for the kids.
Benefits
- It helps in muscle development in kids.
- It is a great way of improving hand-eye coordination in children.
- It is a great way of learning social skills also as this game is played between two players.
- It is a great exercise for the overall movement of the body.
The above-mentioned physical exercises are very beneficial for your kids. You can engage your kid in any of these exercises on regular basis. However, if your child is suffering from some health complication such as asthma, diabetes etc, then it is best to consult your child’s doctor before engaging your kid in any form of physical workout.
You can introduce exercising at an early age only. The habits made at a younger age stay along with your kid and it is also observed that children who have had a healthy childhood tend to make healthy lifestyle choices later in their lives too. Therefore, help your kid to make healthy choices from the start and turn them into healthy individuals.
