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Healthy
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Fitness for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Everyone knows that school-aged children and adults need more exercise. But are you aware that infants, toddlers and preschoolers do too? Watching young children for any length of time convinces us that most children can be very active! Activity levels do have an impact on excess weight and even young children can eat too much and exercise too little. Keeping children fit and active, along with a balanced diet, can put in place a healthier foundation for good habits and good health.
Common sense says that children who are active have a lower chance of becoming overweight, have increased self-esteem and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, some children do not have a chance to be active at home; some live in unsafe neighborhoods. Some children do not have a chance to be active away from home either because of harsh weather, safety issues, or lack of encouragement.
Skills to Master
Children need to be fit, strong, flexible, and stable as well as develop stamina. The kinds of physical activities recommended focus on development and mastery of motor skills. These skills include control of the head, neck and gross muscles; manipulative skills; spatial relationships; coordination of the eyes and hands as well as the eyes and feet; balance; and depth perception. A typical sequence for locomotor skills (moving through space) is: walking, marching, galloping, hopping, running, traveling around obstacles, and skipping. Other skills to be developed in young childhood are balancing, throwing and catching. Mastery of these skills requires instruction, repetition, and exposure through well-designed activities.
Help a child develop these skills by offering activities that are developmentally appropriate for the age with individual readiness for the skills presented. As the child gets older, build skills, one upon another, by providing opportunities for locomotor activity (large movement skills); stability activity; manipulative activity (small movement skills); and rhythm activity. Some activities, e.g., dancing, combine skills.
Movement Concepts
Children also need to master movement concepts. These include learning about where and how in space the body moves; the effort it takes to move the body (time, force, etc.); and the relationship of the body to what is around it.
It is important that caregivers include the opportunity for developing motor skills every day, and more than once a day in full day programs. This includes identifying appropriate activities, obtaining needed materials, determining a time in the daily schedule, and designating a place either indoors or outside.
When children feel comfortable with their body, know they can control their movements, and experience fun, being physically active will become something they will want to keep doing. And the more active they are, the more fit they become, and thus, the healthier they are!
Here are examples of activities for toddlers and preschoolers. For each, stand up with the child. If there are several children, arrange them in scatter formation. Stand where all children can see you. All activities are reprinted with permission from Team Nutrition Iowa.
Shake, Punch and Roll - For locomotion, stability, and rhythm
The movements for this workout are shaking (a leg, one arm, two arms, or your head), punching arms alternately forward (vigorously extend and bend arms with fists held the whole time), and rolling (lay on the ground or floor, roll from back to stomach and back).
Do each movement at least eight times to the music (for 8-16 counts depending on the music). For younger children repeat each movement more times, for older children change the type of movement more often. Running in place can be inserted between shakes, punches and rolls. Select music the children enjoy.
Turtle and Rabbit - For rhythm, stability
Explain that turtles move slowly and rabbits move very fast. Ask the children to move slow. Once they can demonstrate slow, ask them to demonstrate fast.
To play the game you will call out “turtle” or “rabbit.” When you say “turtle” the children move slowly and continuously until you say “rabbit.” When you say “rabbit” the children move fast until you say “turtle.” Repeat alternating “rabbit” and “turtle.”
Focus the children on listening and following directions. The point of the game is for the children to move all the time (either fast or slow).
Circus Elephants - For stability
Present and demonstrate the following balance challenges. Balance on:
- One foot: The other foot
- One hand and one foot: Two hands and one foot
- Switch to the other food and two hands: Head and two feet
- Elbow and one foot: Knees (no feet!)
- One knee: Seat (bottom)
Moving to Music - For rhythm, stability
Describe sharp movements as a way to move the body to make lines, corners, and angles. Demonstrate by making your arms straight then angled by rapidly and forcefully bending your elbows. Ask the children to move arms, then ankles, waist, and hands in sharp movements.
Describe smooth movements as a way to move that has circles, turns, and does not stop. Demonstrate by swinging your arms in circles. Ask the children to move their arms in smooth movements. Ask the children to move their whole body in smooth movements as you demonstrate turning, bending, swaying--all smoothly.
Turn on music and ask the children to move to the music. Remind the children to move using smooth or sharp movements.
Madeline Seigman-Grant, PhD, RD
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Las Vegas, NV
and
Connie Jo Smith, EdD
Early Childhood Education Specialist, Training & Technical Assistance Services, Western Kentucky University
Resources
Fitness resources, www.nal.usda.gov/Childcare/Resources/physical_activity.html
Food Pyramid for young children, www.keepkidshealthy.com/nutrition/kids_food_guide_pyramid.html
Nutrition and Fitness resources, www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/bibs/edu/preschool.html
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