• 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

Circuit Training Workouts for Kids

January 5, 2011 by ds_12608 Leave a Comment

While gyms and fitness boot camps often use circuit training to target people’s major muscle groups and keep the heart rate raised, children’s circuit training has a variety of goals and benefits. The primary aspect of effective kids’ circuit training is that it offers diverse, developmentally appropriate activities that do not rely as much on calisthenics, floor work or hydraulic exercise machines. Keep the pace fast and the mood upbeat, and children will discover new challenges.

Playground Obstacle Course

One of the easiest ways to keep children active and entertained while doing circuit training is to hold the circuit training at a good playground that also has open space for children to run and play. Select a playground that has the right size of equipment so that you do not spend the whole time holding children so they can reach the monkey bars or telling them not to crash into babies on the toddler slide. Set up an obstacle course on the playground, moving through the equipment. Try to have a variety of activities that involve climbing, swinging, scooting, jumping and running. For added fun, time your child going through the obstacle course, and then set the goal of trying to beat the time.

Exercise Stations

In an open green space or your backyard, try setting up exercise stations. Designate different areas with play mats, flags or orange cones. Place equipment for circuit training at each area. For example, one corner may have a hula hoop for twirling, or several hula hoops set flat on the ground for hopping through. Another corner may feature jumping rope, one of the tougher cardiovascular activities. In a section with concrete or a blacktop, draw a hopscotch court, but make it longer and winding to keep the hopping going longer. Reserve an area with stairs or a hill for sprinting up and down. Other equipment that can help boost activity for circuit training workouts include bouncy balls, a basketball hoop, badminton equipment, a medicine ball, bean bags with a target, a punching bag, a tire swing and light hand weights.

Indoor Circuit Training

Keep active no matter what the weather or where you are by creating an indoor circuit training workout for your family. If you have a basement or a recreation room, you can set up areas for doing jumping jacks, mats for sit-ups, stairways for walking, a lit corner for shadow boxing and stacks of pillows for climbing, punching or having a pillow fight. Make the circuit more fun by creating kid-centered challenges, such as a line of cardboard boxes for crawling through, an inflatable pool filled with balls for rolling in, thick gym mats for somersaults and a cushioned area for practicing headstands. A small jogger trampoline lets children run or jump to keep their heart rates high.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_12608

Nina Makofsky has been a professional writer for more than 20 years. She specializes in art, pop culture, education, travel and theater. She currently serves as a Mexican correspondent for "Aishti Magazine," covering everything from folk art to urban trends. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Mills College.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Killing Off Supermom

I'll be honest with you. In my house, the beds are rarely … [Read More...] about Killing Off Supermom

Must Have

ToniBox

Meet Toniebox – A Loveable Storytime Friend For Your Kids

If you are looking for something to occupy your children … [Read More...] about Meet Toniebox – A Loveable Storytime Friend For Your Kids

Did you know?

Calories Burned Sitting in a Steam Sauna

The Calories Burned Sitting in a Steam Sauna for 15 Minutes

Pregnancy and Sinus Pain

Pregnancy and Sinus Pain

toddler hair growth

Toddler Hair Growth

cooking with young children

Cooking With Young Children

Symptoms of Pregnancy If HCG Injection Is Taken

Tell If You Are Pregnant While Breastfeeding

How to Tell If You Are Pregnant While Breastfeeding

Signs You're Having a Miscarriage

Signs You’re Having a Miscarriage

Footer

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

Copyright © 2021 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.