Fun Workout To Do With Your Kids
Whether you’re looking to spend more time with your kids or simply kill two birds with one stone on busy days, these exercises might be perfect for you!
If you’re an active person with kids, chances are that you’ve probably had to move around your workouts in order to fit them into your busy daily schedule. It can be hard juggling the different aspects of your life – but have you thought about combining them?
Kids are incredibly energetic and can be easily entertained with the right activities, which makes exercising with them the perfect opportunity to keep them distracted while you get your daily workout in. Plus, with Mother’s Day approaching, it can be the perfect time to bond with your kids and maybe even start a new tradition!
To help you with this, we’ve prepared a list of some of the best workout ideas that you can do with your kids. This way, you can keep burning calories and building muscle while connecting with your kids and keeping things fun for them!
Squats
There are many lower-body exercises that you can do with your kids, and squats are one of the best. Kids can squat very easily, so you can perform a set together and see who achieves deeper squats, or even better, put them on your shoulders while you squat!
How to do it:
- Get in a low position so your kid can hop on your shoulders, making sure that their legs go forward so you can secure them with your hands while they hold onto your head.
- Stand back up and place your feet about shoulder-width apart, keeping your shoulders down and back and your head looking straight forward.
- Engage your core and begin the movement by slowly descending into a squat, holding onto your kid so neither of you loses balance until your thighs are near parallel to the floor.
- Squeeze your muscles in this position, then slowly go back to the standing position and repeat.
Star jumps
Few things are more fun for kids than jumping around, and luckily jumping makes for an excellent workout! Star jumps are very similar to jumping jacks, except you’ll be fully extending your arms and legs and then closing them before you touch the floor again.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet close together and bend slightly at the hips and knees, keeping your arms pointing down to prepare for the jump, then have your kids do the same.
- Begin the movement by jumping as high as you can while extending your arms and legs in the shape of a star, then immediately tuck them back in before you land on the ground again.
- As you land, quickly go back to the starting position and repeat the jump. See who can get higher!
Running
Kids, particularly toddlers, have tons of energy that you can definitely use to your advantage to get a good cardio session. While walking and jogging are both great options, running might sound more appealing to kids and you will get to burn more calories, so it’s a win-win situation!
How to do it:
You can make your running session into an active game such as tag, this way everyone will be constantly running away from each other and making sudden stops until someone gets tired – and it probably won’t be the kids!
You may also create an obstacle course that you can complete together, adding a lot of turns and jumps along the way to make it more dynamic and exercise more muscle groups than you would with regular straight-line running. Or you can simply race your kids! Just make sure not to outrun them too much to keep things fun and lighthearted.
Bear crawls
If you’ve seen your kids moving around half-crawling and half-walking, then you definitely know how bear crawls look! This exercise isn’t just fun but it also burns a ton of calories and strengthens your whole body while also building functional strength.
How to do it:
- Get on the floor with your kids, placing your hands and feet on the floor while keeping your knees bent so that they’re close to the ground.
- Begin by walking forward with your hands and feet, crawling as fast as you can without losing your balance and coordination.
- Race your kids to the end of the line, then go back and repeat until you’ve completed the desired reps.
Crab walks
Similar to bear crawls, crab walks require you to be on your hands and feet, but this time upside down! This is a great full-body exercise that young kids and even older kids tend to love because it looks silly and it’s super fun, especially when there’s a competition or even a reward involved.
How to do it:
- Sit on the floor next to your kids, then place your feet and hands firmly on the floor, raising your hips as if you were a crab.
- Begin the movement by walking forward with your hands and feet while keeping your balance and coordination, making sure you don’t trip.
- See who gets first to the end of the line, then go back to the starting position and repeat. You can also return while moving backward to make it more challenging and fun!
Superman
Pretending to be a superhero is many kids’ favorite game, especially if they get to wear a cape while doing it. This is a great core strengthening exercise as it mimics flying like Superman while lifting your arms and legs off the floor.
How to do it:
- Lie face down on the floor and extend your arms in front of you so that your body forms a straight line, then have your kids do the same.
- Engage your core and begin the exercise by lifting your arms and legs off the floor as if you were flying, making sure only your core is touching the floor.
- Keep this position for a couple of seconds while you squeeze your muscles, then lower your arms and legs and repeat. Pretend you’re flying to where the bad guys are while taking small breaks!
Good mornings
You’re probably used to doing barbell good mornings for your posterior chain, but that’s probably not the best idea with kids around! Instead, you can hug your kid with both arms and use them as a weight, or have them mimic you during the exercise.
How to do it:
- Pick your kid up and have them put their legs around your torso so that they can hold onto you, then hug them with both hands while you stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Keeping your knees slightly bent, begin the movement by hinging at the hips, lowering your torso forward while holding your kid until your upper body is near parallel to the floor.
- Squeeze your muscles in this position, then slowly go back up to the starting position and repeat.
Who said working out can’t be a family activity?
Getting to exercise with your kids isn’t only great for you because you can stay fit even on busy days, but it’s also great for them! Dynamic physical activity improves balance, coordination, and other necessary motor skills that kids develop from a very early age, making it the perfect family pastime.
Need more exercise ideas that you can add to your family workouts?
Take a look at the One Fitness app!
The app features goal-focused workouts created by Iulia herself every week to help you achieve your fitness goals, whether you’re looking for a kid-friendly workout routine or a tougher one. Simply download the One Fitness app and try our 7-day free trial today!