10 Fun Warm Up Exercise, Activities and Games for Kids

Being healthy starts from home, so, be a role model for your child and do 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.

Benefits of Warm Up Activities and Exercises for Kids

In today’s world, with excessive pollution and unhealthy eating habits, staying fit is a requirement for everyone. The body of a child is still evolving, and unlike an adult, it is still developing. It is advisable for kids to start their physical activity routine with a warm-up and exercise. It keeps their body supple and makes their muscle ready for stretching by pumping in more blood to their muscles, thus avoiding any major injuries.

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 formation years. Below is a list of warm-up exercises for kids

1. Jumping Jacks

Obesity in children being one of the most alarming issues faced by the parents today, jumping jacks are advisable as a part of the 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

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.

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.

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 and 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 the 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.

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

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: Group Games and Activities for Children