We all know the importance of keeping active, no matter what age we are. But for your toddler, regular exercise is especially key for their healthy development and growth.
To make exercise more fun for you both, why not partake in some parent and toddler workouts? We’ve got 6 workouts to do with toddlers to give you some inspiration.
Why is physical activity important for toddlers?
Before we delve into some workouts to do with your toddler, it’s important to know why getting active is so important for them.
There are so many reasons why movement is beneficial for toddlers. It ensures that they have healthy growth by giving them stronger bones and muscles, and enhances their development by helping them gain gross motor skills.
Not only this, but by promoting regular exercise at an early age, your child will be more likely to carry on exercising into their adult life. You really are setting them up for a healthy future!
6 Workouts to do with toddlers:
Parent and toddler yoga
Yoga is an excellent way to exercise with your toddler. It has amazing benefits for young children, including improved self-esteem and emotional regulation, increased body awareness and improved strength and flexibility.
It also makes for a great bonding session with your toddler. You can try parent-toddler poses and have fun mastering them together!
Some fun and simple yoga poses to try with your toddler include:
- Downward facing dog
- Happy baby
- Tree
- Mountain
Did you know that we offer a toddler yoga extra-curricular class at Little Angels nursery? Find out more about yoga for your toddler here.
Skipping ropes
Do you remember learning to skip rope as a child? It’s one of those exercises that is so fun you forget you’re doing a workout.
What’s even better is that it is a great exercise for you and your toddler. It helps them build motor skills as they will learn to jump and swing the rope.
You could spend around 15 minutes every week trying to master skipping together. It might be challenging at first for your toddler, but once they get the hang of it they won’t be able to stop.
Just ensure that their skipping rope is soft and short, as we don’t want them to catch themselves on the bigger, wirey ropes that are more suitable for adults.
Circuits and obstacle courses
Looking for a workout to do with your toddler that can be turned into a fun challenge? Look no further than circuits or obstacle courses.
This exercise will have you both running around and laughing! You can also get creative with the setup. If it’s a nice day, create some fun outdoor activities. Or, clear out the living room and set up a mini indoor circuit.
Some ideas for your obstacle course or circuit include:
- Hopscotch
- Jumping on the spot
- Throwing a ball in a hoop
- Weaving through cones
- Climbing up the slide
Once your obstacle course is set up, you can get a timer and race to see who can do it faster.
Family walks
If you want a workout to do with your toddler that is a bit more relaxing, family walks are ideal. Toddlers are still little so long walks might be out of the picture, but a scenic walk through the park or to the shops is the perfect amount of exercise for them to get.
Not only this, but they can learn more about the world around them whilst spending quality time as a family.
You could even turn your walk into a fun scavenger hunt by making a list of different nature items to find along the way.
Swimming
Swimming is a fantastic workout for toddlers, and anyone as a matter of fact!
It involves the entire body, and therefore can help to improve balance, develop strong muscles and joints and also strengthens their heart and lungs.
Swimming is an extremely important skill to learn as a toddler too, as it will ensure that they know how to stay afloat in water.
We recommend taking your toddler for swimming lessons before you take them swimming yourself, as a professional will be able to keep them safe whilst they learn. Most toddlers are naturals, so you’ll be able to put on their inflatables and take them swimming with you in no time!
Scootering
Another nostalgic exercise for you: scootering. Scooters come in all shapes and sizes so if you’re picking one up for your little one, make your toddler even more excited by getting yourself one, too.
You can scooter around your garden so they can practice pushing away, balancing and controlling the scooter. This will help develop their balance and coordination, whilst promoting muscle strength.
But, be careful, and make sure to only scooter in safe places, like an enclosed park or back garden.
Summary: Workouts to do with toddlers
Fun and active extra-curricular activities at Little Angels
At Little Angels Nursery, we understand the importance of getting your child active from an early age.
We keep your little ones active with our regular indoor and outdoor playtimes, our outings programme where we explore beyond the nursery, and our variety of extra-curricular activities. This includes Stretch-N-Grow, yoga and so much more!
Download a brochure to learn more about Little Angels, or feel free to contact us.
Ready to experience what we have to offer at Little Angels? Book a space at our 2022 Open Day here.