Basic stretching exercises for kids are activities designed to help them improve their flexibility, coordination and range of motion.
Kids can be incorporated into a regular workout routine to enhance their overall physical health and fitness. Therefore, it is essential for parents to teach kids some fun and simple stretches to support their development.
Through this blog, we will break down all the basic stretching exercises for kids and answer all your questions about fun and simple stretching exercises for kids. Let’s get started!
During childhood, practicing the right stretches for kids is essential for them to get more active and fit. Yet, kids need to exercise with age-appropriate, safe, and fun stretching exercises so that they keep interested and engaged to conduct them regularly.
Here are the most beneficial warm up stretching exercises for kids of all ages.
Downward dog is an easy stretching leg exercise for kids. It is great for improving flexibility in the shoulders, upper back, and leg muscles. Also, it is among the best yoga poses for kids and the most beneficial stretching exercises for kids to regulate coordination and posture.
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Child’s pose is one of the most effective breathing and stretching exercises besides being physical brain breaks for kids. It gives kids a full-body stretch and helps them relax by reducing their stress and calming their muscles.
If you are googling “stretching exercises for the back for kids,” a bow pose might be what you are looking for. The pose is great for improving spine flexibility and reducing strains in the neck and back. When you wonder how to improve balance and be flexible at the same time, you can use this pose.
This lying down yoga position can be performed as a beginner-level stretching exercise to strengthen the back muscles, as well as the arms and legs. Also, it is good for relieving backache and increasing hunger.
This is one of the most effective stretching leg exercises for kids. By releasing the hamstring tension, flexing the spine, and improving the motion of the hips, the seated toe touch gives a good hamstring stretch.
This simple but effective stretching exercise can help kids warm up their spine and improve the flexibility of the back and hip muscles. It is a great transition exercise to perform between heavy workouts or different sports.
Our stretching exercises list is about to finish. If these exercises aren’t enough for you, you can always find out more by using the multi-awarded educational games app MentalUP. It offers lots of workouts for kids, PE games, or outdoor activities for kids. 🏆
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This exercise is easy but effective and can be a valuable addition to any fitness or wellness routine. It stretches the shoulders and upper back muscles, improves posture, and relieves tension and stiffness.
The butterfly pose is one of the most effective stretching leg exercises for kids as it strengthens the muscles in the inner thighs and hips. Also, it improves the flexibility in lower muscles, reduces stress and tension, and enhances athletic performance by stretching the hip flexors.
This exercise is great for stretching the muscles in the front and back of the body, such as the chest, abdomen, quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings. Additionally, it is beneficial for relieving constipation as it supports the stimulation of the digestive system.
Stretching has numerous benefits for kids, from helping them relieve stress and supporting their circulatory system to preventing injuries and improving circulation. Let’s take a closer look at how a good stretch contributes to kids' development.
Flexibility can be described as the range of motion of a joint, or group of joints, in the human body. As stretching improves the range of motion, it helps kids get flexible both temporarily and permanently.
To gain permanent flexibility and muscle strength, it’s imperative to practice effective breathing and stretching exercises for kids. For long-lasting results, it is best to stretch diligently about five to six days a week.
According to research, a daily physical activity routine with stretching exercises boosts kids' ability to pay attention by enhancing the brain’s ability to ignore distractions, triggering endorphins, and improving mindfulness.
Therefore, stretching exercises are highly beneficial for kids to achieve mental and physical developmental milestones. Basic stretching exercises for kids, like child's pose, toe touches, and butterfly stretch, can help kids improve their concentration skills easily. Yet, for holistic cognitive development, kids need to practice with fun and beneficial games and activities.
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Stretching creates a calming effect on the body and mind, reduces stress, and improves stress management skills. All these positive effects of stretching add up to helping kids relieve and manage challenging situations more easily.
The warm-up stretching exercises for kids, like a cat-cow stretch, bow pose, or cobra pose, are especially helpful for kids in relieving stress and feeling better because they increase blood flow and accelerate the release of endorphins.
During stretching, the body temperature increases, sending oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles. This process increases blood circulation and allows natural muscular contractions and relaxations.
A regular stretching routine, including dynamic and static stretches, like camel pose, downward dog, and butterfly stretch, can be great for supporting body functions as well as blood circulation.
Stretching exercises increase the flexibility and range of motion in the joints. Therefore, it enables kids to move easily and reduces the risk of straining or tearing a muscle. Additionally, as it improves posture and balance, it prevents falls and other injuries.
All stretching exercises for kids can be beneficial for kids to learn how to use their muscles to avoid getting injured. Yet, it is best to diversify their stretching routine with dynamic and static exercises, like crossbody shoulder, toe touches, downward dog, and camel pose.
During the early childhood years, kids remain highly flexible as muscles are generally more supple and still developing. However, flexibility starts to decline gradually at age 10 and continues as bones, tissues, and muscles become more mature.
You can explain stretching to your kid as a physical activity that will enable them to move easier, perform daily activities or exercises better, and improve their athletic performance. Also, you can say that stretching will help them feel better.
The flexibility of humans changes according to body composition, amount of exercise, and muscles. Still, kids become temporarily less flexible during puberty. So, between those ages, it is normal.
Stretching exercises can be performed anytime during the day as long as the muscles are warmed up with a light exercise. Also, kids should stretch before or after any workout.
Games and activities that get kids active and accelerate blood circulation are great alternatives to give kids a good stretch. These activities include games like mirroring, donkey tails, red light-green light, Simon says, hokey-pokey, and tag.
So it is clear that stretching is an important part of daily physical activity. It is essential for both physical and mental development, preparing kids' bodies for exercise and sports and boosting their confidence. Yet, focusing only on stretching is not enough for a kid to stay healthy and improve cognitive skills.
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