According to the National Institute of Health, children need at least one hour of active play every day. As children watch more television and play computer games, also encourage them to stay active both in school and at home. Gym class -- or physical education class -- is a good arena to teach children the importance of proper exercise. Scheduling fun activities for kids should help to keep them engaged and interested throughout.
Sports
There are many sports that are appropriate to have children play in gym class. Some sports are more suited for older children with improved hand-eye coordination, such as baseball and hockey. Younger children may enjoy kickball with a large bouncy ball or dodgeball. If you have access to a basketball court, have children split up into teams to play each other. Some children are not competitive at sports, so it is best to emphasize the exercise benefits of the sports and not only the winning aspect. Regardless of who wins, every child is a winner when they exercise.
Yoga
Young children have flexible bodies and engage with yoga poses naturally. For very young children -- nursery school age -- have fun with yoga poses by creating stories that revolve around the animal poses, such as down dog, fish pose and cobra pose. Pretend that you are flowers that are opening up your petals to the sunshine as you stretch your arms upwards and put the flowers to sleep as you forward fold to touch your toes.
Parachutes
Children love playing with large colorful parachutes and if you have enough space to spread out there are a few activities that work well with parachutes. Have each child hold a section of the parachute's perimeter. Instruct the children to shake the parachute vigorously, creating a flutter. Have the children make a dome or tent with the parachute by thrusting the parachute up and pulling it back down again, catching the air inside of the parachute.
Dance or Free Play
Kids are naturally active and energetic, so give them the space to run, dance and play safely. Put on kid-friendly music and either guide the children through a series of simple dance steps or let them come up with their own dance routine. Additionally, free play could include playing with various soft sports balls, jumping rope, hula hooping and skating.
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