It’s important to encourage children to exercise. It helps them maintain a healthy mind and body. Consistent physical activity helps children build strong muscles, bones and joints, and it can help them reduce stress and increase their confidence. Creating healthy fitness routines for children can also help them set the foundation to live healthy lives as adults.
Compass Charter Schools (CCS) encourages all scholars to talk about fitness with their families and to get active and exercise everyday. Here are seven easy exercises that scholars and their families can do at home to stay healthy:
Planks
Lie face down resting on forearms. Push up onto your toes, keeping your body as straight as possible. Draw the belly button toward the spine, squeeze your glutes and abs and hold for 30 seconds. Rest one minute, then do the move again. As you get stronger, add on more time in 15-second increments. Via Family Circle
Chair Squats
Stand about 6 inches in front of a chair with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointed forward. With weight on the heels, inhale and slowly lower the hips until the butt taps the chair. Exhale, straighten legs and come up to starting position. Do this 8 to 15 times. Via Family Circle
Modified Push-Ups
Get into plank position, with your hands under but slightly outside of your shoulders and straight arms. Bend your knees until they gently rest on the ground for support. Then, bend at the elbows to lower your upper body toward the ground. Pull your elbows close to your body and bend until your arms have created approximately a 45-degree angle. Pause for a moment, and then straighten your arms back to the starting position. Keep your core strong and engaged throughout the exercise. Via Women’sHealth
Bear Crawl
Crouch down with hands in front of you, shoulder width apart, and feet behind you with hips up in the air and eyes forward. Keep your core strong and engaged. Crawl forward starting with your right hand with your left foot following with the left hand and the right foot. Keep your knees and elbows up off of the ground. Take four steps or more forward depending on space, then turn around and bear walk back. Via Get Healthy U
Crunches
Lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your fingers behind your head. Raise your head and shoulders, and lift your shoulders off of the ground, and pull your rib cage toward your hips. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position. Remember to breathe and engage your core. Via Men’sHealth
Trunk Lifts
Start by laying flat on your stomach, with your arms out to the side. Then lift your upper body up off the ground, with a maximum of 12 inches, and hold yourself up. Ask an adult to measure the distance between your chin and the floor. This exercise is designed to measure flexibility and extension in your back. Via Wisconsin Partnership for Childhood Fitness
Aerobic Activity
Children and adolescents should do 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Most of the 60 minutes should be either moderate- or vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity. Aerobic activities include walking, running, and sports games like basketball, soccer and many more. Via ChooseMyPlate.gov
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