• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Exercises for Kids at Home

December 10, 2010 by ds_48512 Leave a Comment

Your children need at least an hour of physical activity every day, according to the American Heart Association. The presence of television, video games and high-tech phone gadgets often gets in the way of children getting the exercise they need. Encourage your child to get off the couch by showing him a few engaging exercises.

Jumping Rope

If your child doesn’t already know how to jump rope, teach her how. Jumping rope is a great way to convince children to exercise, since it’s an enjoyable activity that doesn’t seem too difficult. Even if your child only jumps rope for 10 minutes a day, she can burn a decent amount of calories and get her heart rate up. Teach her rhymes to try out while jumping or tricks such as crossing her arms in front or jumping on one foot. Have a jump rope contest with her and her siblings to see who can jump the longest without tripping.

Pull Ups

In addition to aerobic exercise, children need to work on building muscle strength. While push-ups are one way to develop strength in the arms, pull-ups may be more fun for children, since they involve special equipment and don’t have the stigma push-ups do. You can rig up a pull-up in a doorway by screwing a closet rod to the door frame, or you can purchase a removable pull-up bar. Set a goal with your child, such as 10 consecutive pull-ups by the end of the month and reward her when she reaches that goal.

Yoga Routine

Children need to build their flexibility and balance too. Show your child a few basic yoga poses, such as the downward dog, in which you support yourself on your feet and hands, sticking your back and buttocks high into the air. Marsha Wenig, who created the YogaKids program, claims that children enjoy imitating other beings, such as a dog or eagle while doing yoga, so stress the imitation while guiding your child through the poses. She recommends letting them bark while in downward dog or meow while doing the cat stretch. Improve your child’s balance by showing her the tree pose, in which she stands on one foot and places the other foot against her calf. Encourage her to wave her hands in the air, like a tree’s branches blowing in the wind.

Jumping Jacks, Sit-Ups and Other Calisthenics

Think back to your days in gym class. You typically warmed up with a series of calisthenic exercises, such as jumping jacks, lunges and sit-ups. Spend 15 minutes a day with your children doing a similar routine. Eliminate any whining that may occur when you say it’s time for jumping jacks by doing the exercises during the commercial breaks of your children’s favorite television shows. Keep a chart to track how many of each exercise your children are able to do during each commercial.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Living Healthy

About ds_48512

Based in Pennsylvania, Emily Weller has been writing professionally since 2007, when she started writing theater reviews. Her writing covers a wide range of topics including theater, vegetarianism, travel and news. Weller has a Master of Fine Arts in dramaturgy and theater criticism from CUNY/Brooklyn College.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Kissing Kids on the Lips: Fine or Not?

I recently read an article that says that parents should not … [Read More...] about Kissing Kids on the Lips: Fine or Not?

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Best Way to Cook Boneless Shoulder Steak

The Best Way to Cook Boneless Shoulder Steak

How to Even Out a Spray Tan That Left White Spots

How to Even Out a Spray Tan That Left White Spots

Signs You're Having a Miscarriage

Signs You’re Having a Miscarriage

When Should You Give a Pacifier to a Baby

When Should You Give a Pacifier to a Baby?

can you get pregnant on birth control pill if you miss one day

Can You Get Pregnant on Birth Control Pill If You Miss One Day?

Baby Brain Development in the Womb

How Early Can an Ultrasound Detect a Fetus?

How Early Can an Ultrasound Detect a Fetus?

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2022 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.