Physical Fitness: Aerobic and Strength Building Workouts

Do children really need to strengthen their core muscles?
The answer is, yes!

The core is the center of our body: our abdomen, hips, pelvis and back. When we strengthen these muscles and train them to work together, we have better posture, balance and stability. Building one’s core strength is like building a strong foundation for your body.

According to the Child’s Play Therapy Center, children with poor core strength may exhibit poor balance and endurance, and will often slump with their shoulders rolled forward when they sit. Poor posture has also been found to affect gross and fine motor skills. For elementary school-aged children, the best way to develop core strength is through good old fashioned outdoor play – running, jumping, climbing, crawling! However, we can also build core strength with kids in a fun way, where they can challenge themselves while getting stronger.

Here are a few exercises to build core strength for the whole family! Make it a competition! See who can hold the position the longest or who can do the most repetitions.

“Superman”

Lay on your stomach on the floor and try to lift your arms up off the floor so that your upper chest comes up too. Hold the position for as long as you can or count how many repetitions you can do over a period of time (e.g., How many in a minute? In 5 minutes?

Challenge:

  • Can you lift your legs and your arms at the same time?
  • Can you kick your legs like you are swimming without swaying the rest of your body?
  • Can you place an object (e.g. a stuffed animal) on your back, without falling off, while doing the pose?

“The Bridge”

Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Push hard through your heels to raise your bottom up off the floor. Be sure that you are keeping your head and shoulders on the ground. Count how long you can hold this pose.

Challenge:

  • Can you lift and lower with control for a count of 3? A count of 5? A count of 10?
  • Can you place an object (e.g. a stuffed animal) on your back, without falling off, while doing the pose?
  • Can you place your feet on a pillow or ball and maintain your stability while bridging?

“The Plank”

Lay on your stomach on the floor with your hands flat on the floor at shoulder level and toes on the floor. On the count of 3, push up on your hands to straighten your arms and lift your whole body all the way to up with your toes on the floor.

Challenge:

  • Can you hold the plank position on your forearms with your elbows at 90 degrees?
  • Can you lift an arm straight out in front and hold?
  • Can you lift an opposite arm and leg and hold for 3 seconds? 5 seconds?

“Jumping Games”

Any kind of jumping helps to target the core muscles (e.g, jumping on a trampoline, jumping rope, frog jumps, hopscotch)

Activities adapted from: https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/child-development-core-strengthening-for-kids