Children are not miniature adults, and exercises and exercise programs for children must be more than just a watered-down version of an adult workout. The key to exercises for children is that they are age-appropriate, meaning that the exercises and equipment used are appropriate for the developmental age of the child using them. They should offer variety, meaning that you exercise all of the major muscles rather than focusing on a chosen few, and they should be fun.
Getting Started
One of the most important, yet often overlooked steps in developing an exercise program for children is knowing their current fitness level and where to start their exercise level. The President's Challenge offers a list of several fitness tests and how to score the results. You will find tests such as the "sit and reach," and "curl-up" for girls and boys on the President's Challenge website.
Variety and Appropriateness
We've all heard the saying that "variety is the spice of life." A truer statement could not be made when it comes to exercise for children. Variety in the exercises you choose will not only keep the young person interested, but will also serve to exercise most or all of the major muscles, which should be your goal in creating exercises for children. According to authors Avery D. Faigenbaum, EdD and Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, without program variation, teenagers will likely become bored.
All exercises are not created equal when it comes to children. Choosing age-appropriate exercises means selecting exercises that fit the developmental and chronological age of the child exercising.
Fitness authors William J. Kraemer, PhD and Steven J. Fleck, PhD, provide a table that outlines the basic guidelines for age-appropriate exercises, based on the age of the child, in their book "Strength Training for Young Athletes."
Generally speaking, the younger the child, the more likely it is that they should use body weight exercises--like push-ups or body squats, or excercises with very light resistance only.
Make It Fun
Use exercises that are fun. Too often, adults will forget this aspect of exercise for children and will instead make their workouts tedious and boring by choosing exercises designed for adults. There is perhaps no faster way to turn a child off from exercising and lose their interest than to make the workout "work." There is a place for hard work in the workout, especially if you're working with athletes or other children needing to reach specific fitness goals. But, according to Kraemer and Fleck, successful exercise programs for kids are the ones that are fun.
Think of games that will achieve your goal of improving the child's fitness level. For example, a game of tag to develop agility, or rope skipping to develop cardiovascular conditioning would be examples.
Find age-appropriate fun ways to exercise, and the kids will want to continue to exercise.
References
- President's Challenge: Exercise Program
- "Youth Strength Training"; Avery D. Faigenbaum, Ed.D. and Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D.; 2009
- "Strength Training for Young Athletes"; William J. Kraemer, Ph.D. and Steven J. Fleck, Ph.D.; 2005
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