Kids need a lot of exercise but it doesn’t have to be anything too fancy. It’s important to keep them entertained though. That’s why these 30 best exercises for kids at home make the most sense.
These exercises can keep kids entertained while they get their daily need of exercise done without ever thinking of quitting. Most of these exercises are very simple and you won’t even need equipment, but it’s always good to have some of the basic pieces of equipment for exercising. Of course, nothing too heavy!
Keep on reading as we break these exercises down!
30 Best Exercises for Kids at Home
30 is a great number because you have plenty of choices. It’s most likely kids will love all of these, and it’s always good to have options to change the routine up a bit so no one ever gets bored!
1. Rope Jumping
Rope jumping is one of the most basic exercises kids can do at home. All you need is a rope and kids can start jumping right away. Getting the basics done is a workout in itself and then there are many ways to compete with your own skills and with other kids on the block. Jumping is one of the best cardio exercises and having a rope to jump with keeps things very interesting so kids won’t give up as easily.
2. Tag
This is an exercise kids decide to do themselves, whether they’re bored or don’t have anything better to do. Tag is a great game where there’s a lot of running involved. Running is one of the most basic exercises and playing tag keeps all kids entertained rather than pure running. If you don’t have a large home, playing tag outside is a great way to stay entertained but also get a great workout done without even having it feel like a workout.
3. Dancing
Not everyone likes to dance, but dance is actually another great exercise that can help burn calories. Whether you follow YouTube dancing videos where you try to beat the score and do your best to learn all the moves or you’re competing against other friends and family, dancing can be a very fun way to exercise without even knowing it. The best thing is you don’t even need any equipment and you get to choose your favorite music, which ensures boredom is out of the door.
4. Obstacle Course
Who doesn’t like a good challenge like the obstacle course? It’s something kids tend to do themselves out of fun and out of curiosity and need to compete. Any type of obstacle course will do and the best thing is that kids can build it themselves. Running through the earlier created course can be a lot of fun, especially when it’s done with siblings, friends, or family. Since obstacles are pretty technical, kids will get a good amount of exercise.
5. Balloon Ping Pong
The great thing about balloon ping pong is that you can make paddles out of thick paper and use a balloon as a ping pong ball. Using the dining room and table as a court and a playground, a much more fun match than table tennis can begin. Since you’ll be all over the place, you’ll be on the tip toes, spending calories without ever feeling like you’re working out.
6. Soccer
Isn’t soccer one of the most popular games around the world? It’s also the most popular game at every meeting where there are kids, and if there’s enough space and a ball, that’s all that’s needed for a proper soccer kick-off. Soccer is a really fun way of getting kids engaged, especially a large number of kids without needing much equipment. Running, shooting, and chasing the ball keeps kids active, and not only does it burn calories, but it also helps build certain muscles.
7. Jumping Jacks
Don’t have a rope? No problems. Jumping jacks might not be the most fun exercise out there, but it’s an exercise that can engage the whole body, improve coordination with kids, improve bone density, develop power, improve mobility, and strengthen hip muscles. On top of that, jumping jacks is also healthy for the heart and it helps burn fat easily. The great thing is that you don’t need any type of equipment and you can do it almost anywhere since it doesn’t require a lot of space. You can even lead a competition with other kids and see who can last the longest.
8. Push Ups
If you or your kid are into building some muscles or strength, there’s no better way to start getting into exercising than doing some push-ups. It’s an exercise that requires muscles and determination as it’s hard in the beginning, but it’s a well-rewarding exercise almost anyone can do. You only need a bit of space and a bit of will to learn the proper technique. After that, it’s all about challenging yourself and beating your record of how many push-ups you can do. It’s also a fun exercise to compete with other kids at the party.
9. Sit Ups
Sit ups might not be the favorite exercise for kids but it’s one of the most rewarding ones. Sit ups can improve core strength, help build muscle, improve balance and stability, increase flexibility, and even improve posture – which is super important for kids who spend a lot of their time sitting down.
10. Squats
Squats can be a challenging exercise to master but it’s one of the exercises that can help with digestion, enhance balance, improve breathing, and even reduce the risk of falls or injuries so it’s a suitable exercise for kids to handle from a young age. It’s also a good exercise to compete among the friend groups and it’s even a great way to show off some balance and muscles.
11. Wall Sits
Wall sitting is all about toning and strengthening your body and it’s one of the attractive exercises for kids who want to look better. Other than having physical benefits, wall sits can also improve focus and posture, and even improve balance and stability. Needless to say, it’s also one of the rare exercises where you don’t need anything but a wall to start exercising. Wall sits can be a competitive game at parties where kids can participate and see how can last the longest in the wall sit position.
12. Leg Lifts
Leg lifts can be a fun exercise, and even though it’s not liked by many, it’s one of the things some kids do naturally. Leg lifts can help improve the range of motion, provide better balance and posture, improve hip strength and flexibility, and even better overall body stabilization. It’s an exercise ideal for someone who is doing gymnastics or wants to improve core stability for whatever reason. It’s something that can be done by anyone and anywhere.
13. Crab Walks
Crab walks are one of the ways to keep kids entertained while helping them gain the right amount of exercise during the day. It’s definitely an exercise you can throw at any party. Once you show one kid how to do the crab walk, everyone will follow without even being aware of the benefits. For example, crab walking can help improve upper body strength and core muscles, balance, and coordination, and provide a lot of fun. With the body weight on the hands and legs, walking forward might not be easy but kids will have plenty of fun.
14. Yoga
Yoga is one of the exercises that can interest certain kids, but don’t expect it to entertain everyone. Doing yoga, learning the positions, and trying to recreate what they’re taught can be a fun experience, especially considering some positions might be hard to achieve at first. However, Yoga is great for kids because it improves flexibility, reduces anxiety, improves posture and body strength, and can even help with balance and improve sleep.
15. Toe Touches
Toe touches are something most kids do for fun or something they do at school, and it’s an exercise that is very simple to do, doesn’t require any equipment, but brings the most benefits. It’s also one of the least challenging exercises to follow, but it can be quite a hassle in the beginning. At the same time, kids can benefit from improved core strength, and better balance, and even start building their abs.
16. Tree Pose
Tree pose is really a fun pose to try and manage. Since it’s a challenge and kids love it, it’s one of the exercises you can use to attract the kids. By trying to recreate the tree pose, kids will benefit from balance and emotion improvements, stretching, improved alignment and posture, and even improved concentration. Since improved concentration is one of the benefits, it’s something that can be done between studying or even in school, since it doesn’t require any equipment.
17. Butterfly Stretch
The butterfly stretch is one of the positions kids do without ever being taught how to do or being told to do. It’s a fun and simple position that brings many benefits, including improved strength of the inner thigh area, improved flexibility, and reduced back pain kids might be experiencing due to any previous injuries. This can also improve circulation and it’s also good for the heart, and the best thing is that it doesn’t require any equipment to be done.
18. Animal Poses
Animal poses can be super fun since kids will find it super entertaining, but it’s also one of the best ways to work on flexibility and range of motion, as well as mobility. Certain animal poses require squatting or crouching, which can help with hips and lower body, which is really something kids won’t even notice yet will be getting a good exercise done while having fun and doing it with a smile on their faces.
19. Arm Circles
Every kid wants to have arms like their favorite superhero and there’s no better exercise to start working on the arms than arm circles. Arm circles are fun to do, they don’t require any equipment, and they can be done anywhere. They’re also super interesting and easy to remember and to learn how to do, so by doing so, kids can tone their muscles, primarily biceps and triceps.
20. Hopscotch
Hopscotch was one of the favorite games for many kids at one point in their life and it’s still a game that’s often played today. All you need is a bit of chalk and know how to create the fields. It takes literally minutes and it can bring minutes and hours of fun. The more kids participate, the more fun it is and since it involves jumping, kids get a great exercise full of benefits. Hopscotch can help improve body control, stability, and leg flexibility, and it can even help with coordination, improving gross motor skills such as running and jumping.
21. Pillow Fight
Were you a kid if you never had a pillow fight? No matter how fun pillow fights can be, they’re often forbidden by the parents. However, not many know that pillow fights can be an exercise that actually burns calories! Kids can burn up to 60 calories in only 15 minutes of pillow fights, and we all know that pillow fights are so fun that time flies by. The only thing you need is a pillow and it’s always advised to choose the softest pillow there is.
22. Shadow Boxing
Who wouldn’t like to be just like their superhero or a hero from the recent cartoon they’ve watched? Shadowboxing makes a great exercise to do so and it’s an excellent exercise that’s considered aerobic that can benefit kids both physically and mentally. Since it’s a low-impact exercise, it’s easy on the joints and you won’t even need any equipment to start doing the exercise. Combine it with great music or a movie scene and it’s an exercise that can be as fun as any other from our list.
23. Superhero Workout
Superhero exercise is the ideal exercise that will get kids to be active without ever feeling dreadful about it. By following some of the superhero moves, kids can exercise arms, legs, back, and even important core muscles. This also helps develop kids’ form techniques that can lead to benefits in further sports and growth.
24. Juggling
Juggling is one of the interesting exercises and you only need a couple of softballs that can fit kids’ hands. Juggling can improve coordination, balance, focus, concentration, and even body comfort, as well as confidence. There’s a study that shows juggling can even increase brain size. All of these benefits come with ease since juggling will keep any kid interested and it can be a great way to overcome challenges as well.
25. Agility Ladder
The only thing about the agility ladder you need is the ladder itself and kids can have hours of fun. It’s not a specific exercise, but it’s a sort of balance equipment that can help perform agility drills. With a number of drills to choose from, kids can be challenged or compete with each other while improving balance, coordination, speed, and even overall athletic performance. If you don’t have an agility ladder, you can use some tape and create one on the floor, which you can use for the same purpose as the benefits will be the same.
26. Fitness Dice
Fitness dice are something you will need for this exercise, but it’s a very affordable piece of equipment that can provide a lot of fun and exercise for the kids. Dice workout is an efficient way to interest the kids into getting the much-needed daily exercise. A fitness dice can help improve motor skills (both fine and gross), coordination, flexibility, overall fitness, and even strength.
27. Simon Says With Exercise
Simon Says is one of the games we’ve all played when we were little kids. Now, the twist you can do is make it all about the exercise. As kids focus on the tasks and challenges of the game, they’ll also be getting a very efficient workout. What’s great about this is that the kids will have much better focus to perform the same exercise, which they might not be eager to follow if there wasn’t the Simon Says game involved. What’s also great about this exercise is that the kids can choose themselves who will be the Simon and by changing the leader, they’ll all stay interested for much longer.
28. Animal Race
What if there was a way to get kids’ attention and focus on the exercise by performing the exercises as their favorite animal? Trying to copy animal movements while completing a race can have multiple benefits. Some of the benefits include muscle group workouts, improved joint mobility, increased flexibility, and even strength gaining. Since the animal movements will most likely require kids to rely on their own body weight, the resistance can help build overall core and muscles.
29. Bubble Wrap Popping
Bubble wrap popping is something all of us enjoyed as kids, right? Kids still love it today and the only thing you need is more bubble wrap. Being able to get the bubble wrap in bulk for kids to enjoy can also be a good exercise, which is something even parents overlook. Since kids have to bounce, they will work their legs and even arm strength if they pop it with their hands.
30. Bean Bag Toss
Bean bag toss is an actual game that provides a lot of exercise, but it also benefits kids with some of the most common benefits they need to be working on. The benefits include gross motor skills, coordination improvement, and even the ability to build social skills with other kids. Kids are even taught how to creatively reuse something for fun and games, which is another skill this exercise promotes. Of course, most parents and kids won’t even realize how many benefits bean bag tossing can contribute, and that’s the beauty of this exercise.
Conclusion
There are plenty of exercises for kids at home and while this is a big list of 30 picks, there are many more things you can include in the kids’ daily exercise routine. Keeping things mixed and choosing at least a few from this list at a time can keep things entertaining.
Exercising is all about fun and it shouldn’t be boring, especially for the kids, and that’s what these exercise ways promote. Some of these exercises are things kids naturally want to do and even most parents overlook the benefits. We recommend checking these out even as a parent so you know what promotes good health and what you might allow kids to do more often.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the best workout for kids?
Any exercise that gets the kids up and keeps them active, as well as entertained is good. One of the best ones we like to recommend is rope jumping.
Is the gym good for kids?
The gym can be good but not lifting weights. Using resistance bands and relying on own body weight can be beneficial, as well as working on flexibility and core exercises.
Can kids work out every day?
Yes, kids can work out every day and it’s something they naturally tend to do. As you might notice, some of these exercises are things that kids naturally do and it should be encouraged.
What age is OK to work out?
Light workouts can begin from a few years of age. All of the exercises on this list can be done as soon as the kid is capable of doing it and enjoys doing it.
Is morning exercise good for kids?
Yes, morning exercise right before lunch and an afternoon nap is a great way to spend some energy being active, but also gain the benefits of these exercises.
What age is late for the gym?
There is no age that’s too late for the gym. Kids and even seniors can enjoy the benefits of the exercises, as long as they’re done safely and are appropriate for their age.
Is exercise good for kids’ brains?
Yes, exercise is perfect for kids’ brains, and actually, many of these exercises promote healthy brain benefits.
Should a 12-year-old have a workout routine?
This is the age where a 12-year-old could potentially begin with a light workout routine to stay active and get the needed exercise. However, heavy weight lifting should be out of the question.
How can a 13-year-old work out?
Many of these exercises are ideal for 13-year-olds as well, but if you can’t decide, rope jumping, football, agility ladder, and shadow boxing are great exercises.
