Aerobic Routines For Children

Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day and most of it should come from aerobic activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Encouraging your child to engage in aerobic routines can jump start daily physical activity and help her embrace a healthy, active lifestyle.

The Facts

In general, an aerobic routine is a collection or sequence of aerobic activities that your child performs at one time. Moderate-intensity aerobic routines include activities such as aerobic dancing or brisk walking; when engaged in these activities, your child will breathe a bit harder and you'll notice his heart beating faster than normal. Vigorous-intensity aerobic routines include more demanding cardiovascular activities, such as running, playing chase-tag, gymnastics and karate. These activities noticeably raise your child's heart rate and breathing rate.

Features

As a rule, most aerobic routines for children should last for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. This timeframe gives enough time to elevate your child's heart and respiratory rates, which promotes a stronger heart; it also burns calories and encourages a healthy weight. Make sure the aerobic routine you and your child choose is fun, so he enjoys the the physical activity. This promotes a lasting interest in exercise, the main goal of aerobics activities with children, according to Gudrun Paul, author of "Aerobic Training."

Types

A simple aerobic routine that typically works well for most children includes 5 to 10 minutes each of a warm-up activity, such as walking, followed by 20 to 30 minutes of a vigorous-intensity activity and 5 to 10 minutes of walking or another cool-down activity. Incorporating games such as jump rope, freeze tag and ultimate Frisbee into the routines may help enhance interest, especially if you involve the whole family. If you don't feel confident in designing aerobic routines for your child, try attending a parent-child aerobics routine once weekly for several weeks at your local fitness club or gym; this type of aerobics routine provides bonding time and allows your child to see that physical fitness can be enjoyable.

Considerations

Your child's age and attention span play an important role in determining what sorts of activities to include in aerobic routines. Keep the routines simple for younger children between the ages of 5 and 8 years to make it easier for them to follow along. Adding music often helps encourage and enhance your child's ability to move along to the steps during aerobic routines, especially those involving dance. If your child has special needs or suffers from a chronic health condition, such as asthma or cystic fibrosis, talk to her pediatrician before starting any aerobics routines.