20 Fun Warm Up Exercise, Activities and Games for Kids

By Mrunal | Updated: 19/08/2025

Being healthy starts from home, so be a role model for your child and do for yourself what you would want your children to do. For example, take the stairs with them instead of elevators and teach them the importance of staying fit from a very early age. It is important to take them to the parks or the playground to help them indulge in physical activities. Make physical activities fun for your children by getting them interested in all of the activities described in this article. Incorporate warm-up exercises, activities and games for kids to make fitness enjoyable and engaging. By making exercise a fun and regular part of their routine, you help them develop a positive attitude toward fitness.

Benefits of Warm-Up Activities and Exercises for Kids

In today’s world, with excessive pollution and unhealthy eating habits, staying fit is essential for everyone. A child’s body is still developing, making it crucial to incorporate warm-up exercises before physical activity. Here are the key benefits:

Warm-ups gradually increase heart rate and circulation, ensuring muscles receive more oxygen and nutrients (1).
Gentle stretching during warm-ups improves joint movement and reduces stiffness (2).
Proper warm-ups loosen muscles and tendons, preventing strains, sprains, and other workout-related injuries (3).
Kids perform better in sports and physical activities when their bodies are properly warmed up.
Warm-up activities help children transition from rest to activity, sharpening their concentration (4).
Dynamic movements in warm-ups enhance motor skills and body control.
Teaching kids to warm up instills discipline and prepares them for a lifetime of healthy exercise routines.
Incorporating games and playful movements keeps kids motivated and excited about physical activity.

Below is a precise list of warm-up exercises for children:

Warm-Up Exercise for Children

For younger kids and children, dynamic warm-up exercises have more benefits owing to their growth and development years. Below is a list of warm-up exercises for kids

1. Jumping Jacks

Obesity in children is one of the most alarming issues faced by parents today, and jumping jacks are advisable as part of warm-up exercises.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Stand straight with your legs joined at the feet and arms by your side.
Slightly bend your knees and perform a jump
While jumping, spread your legs so that they are shoulder-width apart.
Raise your arms over your head and stretch them out.
Now jump back to your original position

Source : Pinterest

2. Arm & Shoulder Stretch

This exercise increases the flexibility in the arms and shoulders.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Stand straight and raise one arm over your head
Slightly bend your elbow so that your palm is placed in between the shoulder blades.
Now, fold your other arm behind the back with your elbow down and hand pointed above.
Pull your hands so that the fingers of both the arms can touch. Hold the position and count till. Repeat with the other hand.

3. Simple Stretching

Simple stretching is a powerful, stress-relieving exercise.

What You Need

Exercising shorts or track pants and a shirt with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Stand with your legs shoulder width apart and arms by your side.
Bend down from the waist so that your right-hand touches the left foot.
Hold position and count till 10. Release.
Repeat with your other hand.

Source : Pinterest

4. Balasana

Also known as the child pose, it is apt for a warm-up session.

What You Need

Yoga shirt and pants and a yoga mat. This exercise can be done barefoot, or you can also wear socks.

Step-by-Step Guide

Kneel on the floor and keep your heels joined together.
Bring your body to rest on the heels, with your knees wide apart.
Raise your arms over your head and slowly bend down to touch your forehead to the ground with your arms on the sides.
Hold the position and count till 5.

Warm Up Exercise - Balasana

5. Butterfly Stretch

It is fun to flatter the thighs and be like a butterfly….! This exercise tones the inner thigh muscles.

What You Need

Yoga shirt, pants, and a yoga mat. This exercise can be done barefoot, or you can also wear socks.

Step-by-Step Guide

Sit down and hold both feet with your hands and slowly start moving your thighs up and down, just like how the wings of a butterfly would move.
Count 10 sets.

6. High Knees

High knees are an excellent cardio warm-up that improves coordination and gets the heart rate up.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Stand straight with feet hip-width apart.
Lift one knee up towards your chest while hopping slightly on the other foot.
Quickly switch legs, bringing the opposite knee up.
Continue alternating knees while pumping your arms.
Do 20-30 repetitions (10-15 per leg).

7. Bear Crawls

This full-body exercise strengthens core muscles while improving mobility.

What You Need

Comfortable exercising clothes and a non-slip surface. Can be done barefoot or with shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
Lift knees slightly off the ground (about 2 inches).
Move the right hand and the left foot forward simultaneously.
Then move the left hand and the right foot forward.
Keep your back flat and hips stable as you crawl forward.
Continue for 10-15 steps forward, then reverse.

8. Windmill Toe Touches

This dynamic stretch improves flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back.

What You Need

Exercising shorts or track pants and a shirt with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
Extend arms out to sides at shoulder height.
Bend at the waist and reach your right hand to your left foot.
Keep both legs straight as you rotate your torso.
Return to the starting position.
Repeat on opposite side (left hand to right foot).
Do 10-12 repetitions (5-6 per side).

9. Frog Jumps

This plyometric exercise builds explosive power in the legs while being fun for kids.

What You Need

Comfortable exercising clothes with good knee support and athletic shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Start in a deep squat position with hands on the floor between legs.
Explosively jump forward while keeping your hands raised.
Land softly back in squat position.
Immediately prepare for the next jump.
Do 8-10 jumps in a row.
Rest 30 seconds between sets.

10. Crab Walk

This unusual movement strengthens arms, shoulders and core while improving coordination.

What You Need

Comfortable clothes that allow free movement. Can be done barefoot or with shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Sit on the floor with knees bent and feet flat.
Place your hands behind you with fingers pointing forward.
Lift hips off the ground to create a “table” position.
Move the right hand and the left foot forward simultaneously.
Then move the left hand and the right foot forward.
Continue “walking” forward for 10-15 steps.
Reverse direction to return to the start.

Image Credit: Pinterest

Warm-Up Activities and Games for Children

It is always better to start the physical activities with aerobics or slow-paced exercises so that the body gets adjusted to the rise in heart rate gradually. We suggest some good warm-up games for kids.

1. Mirroring

This is a two-member game in which the kids take turns to mirror the actions of each other.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

You need two kids to form a team and set a time limit of 2 mins.
Ask one of them to perform activities like moving the arms or feet, or doing simple stretches.
The other team member follows what the previous one does.
After two mins the process reverses, and the one child who was performing has to mirror the other child’s activities now.

2. Red Light, Green Light

This game involves the children to walk faster when the instructor/parent says “green light’, slow the pace when it’s a “yellow light, and come to a stop with a “red light”.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Make the kids stand in a row and explain the pattern in which they have to walk back to the starting line.
While they start walking, you say out loud – ‘green light’, ‘yellow light’ or ‘red light’ based on your preferences.
Repeat till all the kids are back to the starting point.

3. Simon Says

In this game, the kids are only allowed to follow the command that the instructor or parent gives with a “Simon says” prefixed to it. Besides being a physical activity, this is also an excellent game for increasing concentration in the kids.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Make the children stand in a line and set a time limit of 5 mins to play the game.
Give the instructions as per your choice.
Wait until there is only one winner.

4. The Hokey Pokey

In this game, the kids need to move their body parts as the instructor says with the rhyme, “Put your right hand in, put your right hand out, put your right hand in and shake it all about”, and so on.

What You Need

Usual exercising shirt and shorts or track pants with a good pair of sports shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Make the children stand in a line and set a time limit to play the game.
Sing the song interchanging with each of the body parts in it.

5. Dancing

This is the best form of exercise for any age group. Dance soothes the mind and exercises every part of the body.

What You Need

Anything that is comfortable to wear and dance.

Step-by-Step Guide

Make a list of popular songs.
Ask the children to vote for one song.
Play the most voted song and ask the children to dance to the music.

6. Animal Races

This fun game gets kids moving while imitating different animal movements, providing a full-body warm-up.

What You Need

Comfortable exercise clothes and shoes, open space.

Step-by-Step Guide

Designate a start and finish line (about 10-15 feet apart).
Call out different animals and have children race while moving like them:
• Kangaroo jumps (both feet together)
• Bear crawls (on hands and feet)
• Crab walks (backwards on hands and feet)
• Penguin waddles (heels together, toes out)
Rotate through 4-5 different animals.

Image Credit: Pinterest

7. Freeze Dance

An energetic musical game that improves listening skills and gets hearts pumping.

What You Need

Music player, comfortable clothes for moving.

Step-by-Step Guide

Play upbeat music while children dance freely.
Randomly pause the music – everyone must freeze in position.
Anyone who moves after freezing is out (or does five jumping jacks to rejoin).
The last dancer remaining wins.
Play 3-5 rounds with different music styles.

Image Credit: Pinterest

8. Shadow Tag

A creative twist on traditional tag that uses sunlight to make the game more challenging.

What You Need

Sunny day, open space, comfortable clothes and shoes.

Step-by-Step Guide

Choose one child to be “It”.
Instead of touching players, “It” must step on others’ shadows.
When your shadow gets stepped on, you become the new “It”.
Play in a defined area for 5-8 minutes.
For safety: establish no-tackling rules.

9. Balloon Keep-Up

This cooperative game improves hand-eye coordination while keeping energy levels high.

What You Need

Balloons (1 per 2-3 children), open space.

Step-by-Step Guide

Inflate balloons before starting.
Children work in pairs or small groups.
The goal is to keep the balloon in the air using any body part except arms/hands.
Count how many consecutive hits the group can do.
For variation: add music and pause for “freeze” moments.

Image Credit: Pinterest

10. Obstacle Course

A customizable activity that incorporates various movements and challenges.

What You Need

Cones, hula hoops, jump ropes, small hurdles (or household items).

Step-by-Step Guide

Set up stations with different challenges:
• Hula hoop spins (5 rotations)
• Cone weaving (zigzag run between objects)
• Rope jumps (10 jumps)
• Army crawl (under string or sticks)
Demonstrate each station first.
Children complete course 2-3 times.
Time them for extra challenge.

FAQs

1. How does warm-up time change in cold weather compared to regular conditions?

Cold weather causes muscles to stiffen, requiring a longer warm-up (10+ minutes vs. 5–10 minutes) to increase core temperature and blood flow effectively.

2. Do warm-ups affect kids’ long-term motivation for exercise?

Yes! Fun, game-based warm-ups create positive associations with physical activity, making kids more likely to stay active as they grow older. Boring or repetitive warm-ups, however, may discourage participation over time.

It is imperative to remain healthy and fit from an early age. Statistics prove if the parents can provide their kids with a healthy start during their initial years, the habit stays with them for long, and they naturally tend to make healthy choices regarding their eating or exercising. This improves their quality of life and makes a positive impact on society.

Also Read:

Brain Gym Exercise for Kids
Trust Building Activities for Children
Group Games and Activities for Children
Listening Games, Activities and Exercise for Kids

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