Healthy Children have Fun with Exercise

Superheroes, fairy tale and cartoon characters can be an inspiration for imaginative play and large motor exercise with young children. Just think up a story and go outside for an hour of daily exercise.

  What is needed:

 park equipment, nature path, beach, YMCA, or children’s museum

What to do:

 Young children enjoy exercise more when it’s a fun game or imagination is involved.  They can imagine being stiff legged robots, galloping horses, soaring birds or characters with magical super human powers.  Phil, a personal trainer from Superior Fitness and volunteer in the Big Brothers program, sent these exercise ideas to promote heart health, balance, strength, flexibility, and endurance.

   To prepare, Phil suggests doing a some stretching first.Then act out a story your young children know from a book, legend, fable, movie or tv show. Perhaps there is an animal to rescue, but there are all kinds of obstacles in your way. There may be an invisible line, overturned log, or 2X4 to walk on. Play “Follow the Leader” to avoid getting stuck in the muck or some other danger. Throw a magic stone or stick at a tree to break through an invisible barrier.  Jump over a large stone or climb on a tree stump to look around. Gather sticks to make a safe path to hop on, or write a secret message with shapes and letters in the sand. Jog from one object to next, crouch behind it, and jog again.

  Grandpa Scott takes his grandchildren to the beach to skip stones in the water. Sometimes they pick up large rocks to make towers. They walk along the beach and hunt for rocks, sticks, and other beach treasures for art projects. While walking along a river path, children can drop a leaf in the water and race it down stream.

  Just about anything can be arranged for an obstacle course young children can walk, run, or ride around the yard. Set up a board as a balance beam. Roll a beach ball around, play soccer, catch, shovel in the garden, or sweep the sidewalk. Lay a rope on the ground for children to jump over or walk between.

   There are many active games to play. Young children love to play “What time is it, Mr.Fox,” “Red Light/ Green Light,” and many kinds of freeze or flashlight tag games.  When someone is tagged, the person says a cartoon or story character, color, letter, names a state, spells a word, counts, or anything else you’re working on.

How Does this Help my Child?

  Healthy children exercise for one hour every day. They use the large muscles of the arms, legs, and trunk to jump, hop, skip, kick, throw, catch, dance around, balance, push, pull, or jog.

For more math activities see the authors’ book “Learning through the Seasons” online at: http://www.grandparentsteachtoo.org/ and listen to this and many other activities at WNMU Audio Podcast 

Illustration: Mark Nowicki
Photo: Kock, Matthew. img_0929.jpg. June 15, 2010. Pics4Learning. 5 Jun 2013

Indoor Activities for Cold Weather Days

Stuck in the house again during these cold weather spells? Here are some great ideas to inspire activities for children without causing chaos in the house. Get kids moving, counting, and having fun with simple materials you have around the house. Young children need daily exercise, especially during long stretches of dreary days.  Daily exercise helps develop the large muscles in their arms, legs, and trunk and sets the stage for a healthy lifestyle.

Materials you will need: a beach ball, large pail, wrapping paper tubes, large storage container, paper plates, marker

What you do:  

  Catching a ball with young children begins on the floor rolling a small slightly soft beach ball back and forth with your legs shaped like a V to enclose the ball. The  soft beach ball helps children grip the ball and won’t damage the house. Start close together and move farther and farther apart keeping the experience successful. Stay on the floor and gently throw and catch guiding the ball into their arms. Show children how to place arms and hands to catch. Children can also sit on the couch so the ball lands in easy reach when they miss.  Next stand very close together and ease the ball into your children’s arms.  Gradually move farther apart. Some children will be ready to learn and learn quickly. Others may not be ready. Children learn at different rates. When your child has mastered catching like this, count or say the ABC’S, as you catch.

 Other indoor sports:

  Throw a beach ball into a laundry basket to play basketball. Tap a ball back and forth for volleyball. Kickball is a good way to start running bases. Make numbered bases out of paper plates taped to the floor. Practice running around the bases together.  Tap each one and say its number. Soccer can also be played indoors. For an indoor soccer net, turn a large plastic storage container on its side. 

  Bowling is easy with a few plastic containers and an old ball that has lost some of its air. To play indoor hockey, or golf, hit a ball with a wrapping paper tube. Reinforce with tape when needed. Some other active games include Twister. Call out colors to jump on. There are many variations of freeze tag, if you have room. When tagged call out a number, color, letter, geography feature, or story character when tagged. Close the curtains and play flashlight tag.

What Else Can I do?

Set up an obstacle course with cushions, pillows, chairs and blankets.  Children can crawl around and try to beat their best time. You can add a little math by making a chart of their times. These obstacle courses are fun, expend a lot of energy, and easy to pick up. Soon it’s time for a snack and a good book.

For more activities to prepare young children for success in school and reduce the stress of child care, see the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at book stores and Grandparents Teach, Too web site and listen to the WNMU Radio 90 Podcast for even more ideas. 

Illustration by Mark Nowicki