Just because you’re stuck indoors doesn’t mean the kids can’t get out their wiggles and bump their heartbeats up a notch. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exercises for kids reduces the risk of depression, improves aerobic fitness, muscular fitness and bone health, improves attention and boosts some measures of academic performance (with school physical activity programs). That’s a lot of awesome stuff!
Whether the weather is sunny, rainy or something in between, there are a zillion ways to keep kids healthy and entertained. Check out our list of indoor exercises for kids ages 5 to 12 that work in any type of weather.
What are the official guidelines about exercise for kids?
SHAPE America, the Society of Health and Physical Educators, shares the following physical activity guidelines for 5- to 12-year-olds:
- Guideline 1: “Children should accumulate at least 60 minutes, and up to several hours, of age-appropriate physical activity on all, or most days of the week. This daily accumulation should include moderate and vigorous physical activity with the majority of the time being spent in activity that is intermittent in nature.”
- Guideline 2: “Children should participate in several bouts of physical activity lasting 15 minutes or more each day.”
- Guideline 3: “Children should participate each day in a variety of age-appropriate physical activities designed to achieve optimal health, wellness, fitness, and performance benefits.”
- Guideline 4: “Extended periods (periods of two hours or more) of inactivity are discouraged for children, especially during the daytime hours.”
What are the different types of kid exercises?
The CDC recommends that children and adolescents include three types of physical activity each week, including a mix of:
- Aerobic activities. Try jump rope, dancing, martial arts or running in place.
- Muscle-strengthening activities. Try pushups, squats, resistance exercises using body weight or resistance bands or some forms of yoga.
- Bone-strengthening activities. Try hopping, skipping or jumping games or exercises.
Try these fun indoor exercises for kids ages 5 to 12
In addition to outdoor sports like soccer and basketball, experts recommend getting plenty of indoor exercise for kids in this age group. “They can also do basic calisthenics, such as pushups, curl-ups, running in place, mountain climbers and burpees,” says Len Saunders, best-selling author, motivational speaker and exercise physiologist.
You can also play a structured game like “Olympic Hot Spot Challenge.” Clear out some space and create “hot spot” stations with different activities for fun and variety. The idea is to get the children moving from one station to the next every 30-45 seconds. Here are some station ideas:
- Pushups (against the wall, on their knees or full pushups).
- Situps.
- Jump rope.
- Step-ups (either with a “step” or up and down the stairs).
- Circle jumps (small rings or hula hoops or tape marks).
- Jumping jacks.
- Squats.
- Balance on one leg.
- Ball toss (with a partner).
To make it more challenging, you can:
- Increase time at each hot spot, so 30, 45, 60 seconds.
- Increase number of times you do the complete hot spot circuit, so 2, 3, 4 or 5 times.
- Mix up the hot spots or do them in a different order.
- Create new hot spot activities of your own.
- Add new hot spot props like soup can weights.
The bottom line
There are so many benefits to establishing exercise as a regular part of kids’ daily activities, and there’s no shortage of kid exercises that can get children moving, no matter the weather. Whether it’s simple aerobic moves or a fun and and engaging physical game, indoor exercise for kids is a great way to spend a bad weather day or liven up any afternoon.
