Exercise Tips for Kids

Are you a parent who is trying to get your kids to exercise? Or are you a kid who wants to exercise more but aren't sure how to do it? This article will explain how much exercise kids need, and will list tips that you can use to build more exercise into your day.

How Much Exercise?

• According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), the answer depends on the age of the kid. For example, a toddler should get an hour and a half of exercise a day--an hour of free play and half an hour of planned exercise. A preschooler should get two hours of exercise a day--an hour each of free play and planned exercise. School-age children should get at least an hour of exercise a day. The hour can be split into 15-minute chunks throughout the day (e.g., once at recess, once at lunchtime, once on the way home and once after school).

Getting from Here to There

• Here is one of the easiest ways to include exercise in your everyday routine. Take the stairs instead of riding on elevators, ride your bike to school instead of taking the bus and Rollerblade to your friend's house instead of asking your parents to drive you. It may mean being ready for school a bit early, but it'll be worth it in the end. You may want to bring a friend along for company or take your headphones with you.

Playing Is Exercise Too

• Exercise doesn't mean only working out at the gym. Kids often get their best exercise while having fun. Organized sports get you moving, but free play is often even better exercise. Climb a tree with friends, play tag, swim or go sledding. Use your imagination to come up with ways to have fun and get exercise at the same time.

Things to Avoid

• According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average child spends five and a half hours a day watching television, surfing the Internet and playing video games. These sedentary activities require very little movement. Cut down on these activities.