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Physical Development Tests for Kids

Encourage kids to learn about the benefits of physical activity by engaging them with fun and challenging exercises that help them understand their personal strengths and weaknesses. The organization Kids Health states that kids who are active are stronger and leaner because exercise helps control body fat. Activity decreases the risk of developing type-2 diabetes and gives kids a better outlook on life, according to Kids Health.

  1. Walk to Success

    • Engage kids to pay attention and learn about physical well-being by hosting physical fitness tests that are fun and simple to understand. Prior to beginning this activity, find a piece of asphalt that measures 1 mile. Use plastic orange cones or brightly-colored chalk to mark start and finish lines, also reflecting 1 mile. Instruct kids to complete the full mile at least one time, and time them while in motion. All participants can personally choose whether to walk or run, a detail that allows even the most out-of-shape child to successfully accomplish this test.

    Running the Distance

    • The Shuttle Run exercise gives kids a chance to collectively expend excess energy while measuring individual speed and agility. Set up two identical rows and mark them at equal distances. Use chalk to mark two parallel lines 30 feet apart per row. Add two wood blocks, approximately 2-by-4 inches in length on one line. Instruct kids that the goal of this exercise is to run from the line with no wood blocks, to the wood blocks. They must pick up one block and return to the starting point. All participants start around the starting line, return to the second block and retrieve that before returning back to the starting point. Time all participants while they are in transit.

    Measuring Flexibility

    • Pair kids up and instruct them to help one another reach the goals of the V-sit Reach exercise. Remind all kids prior to starting to pay attention to the feel of the pull of their muscles as they extend them, to prevent unnecessary cramping or tearing. Mark two lines on the ground with chalk. The first should be a straight line 2 feet long, the baseline. The second measures 4 feet in length, stems from the baseline's mid-point, and rests perpendicular to the baseline. Partner one lines up her heels on the 2-foot line, then sits on the ground, stretching her legs out in front of her, and straddling the 4-foot line. She stretches her arms out as far as she can on the 4-foot line, while her partner secures her knees to the ground and takes an accurate reach reading.

    Assessing Muscle Strength

    • A secure bar or rod is needed to complete this exercise that assesses upper body strength and endurance. This bar should be high enough that none of the kids participating in the exercise can physically reach the ground while holding onto the bar. Instruct children to climb a ladder to reach the bar and then tell them to hang on to the bar with both palms facing up. When the child is ready, tell him to step off the ladder and hold his placement on the bar for as long as possible. Use a stop watch to gauge each person's time and record all results for future comparison.

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