Tips for Exercising with Young Children During the Pandemic

Tips for Exercising with Young Children During the Pandemic

The pandemic changed our daily routines. One of the most difficult for us is that our youngest son's preschool has been closed. He misses his friends and the routine. It's not easy to work, care for children, and find much free time. We've struggled like everyone else. In today's post, I'll share one thing that has worked well for us -- integrating our preschooler into exercise routines so that we all have fun and grow together.  I'll also tell you about our favorite brand of running shoes and clothing -- ASICS! This is a brand that we have loved for over 20 years!

Let me start by sharing something fun that I recently learned -- ASICS offers shoes for preschoolers. Our little Mini Me feels like a runner like us when he wears his ASICS Contend 6 PS shoes! These shoes are fantastic because they are designed to provide comfort and support for growing children. As a parent, one thing that I've never skimped on is shoes for my children because I think that good support impacts their growth and well being. These ASICS running shoes are fantastic because they have several features that provide comfort and support. They use AMPLIFOAM™ technology in the sole is also there to cushion every stride.  The midfoot of the shoes is tailored to preschoolers so that they are able to keep moving with comfort. The outsole uses durable materials and reinforcement around the toe for long lasting comfort and protection. These shoes are unisex and come in a variety of colors. My preschooler seems very comfortable in his little ASICS Contend 6 PS shoes!

Of course, if you follow regularly, you know that my husband and I wear ASICS shoes for running. We put a lot of miles on our shoes and count on ASICS for comfort and durability. My husband current uses ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 23 shoes and I wear ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 22 shoes. 

These shoes have the same iconic GEL technology for extra comfort, cushion, and shock absorption that we've become accustomed to with the GEL-NIMBUS line of running shoes. The FLYTEFOAM technology in the midsole makes a big difference for extra spring in our steps. Of course, the good quality design and materials make a big difference in the life of the shoes too. 

We also love ASICS apparel as you will notice in photos throughout this post.  My husband has a favorite pair of running pants that he frequently wears -- ASICS Men's Tokyo Sportwear Tapered Pants. They are made from an interlock fabric that is soft and provides premium comfort. The pants have woven overlays to protect against the elements which is great at this time of year.

A couple of my favorite ASICS apparel items include the ASICS Race Pant and ASICS Accelerate Jacket.  The pants have a tailored fit that's functional for various weather conditions. I also appreciate the drawcord waste tie for adjustability. These pants have been perfect for the recent cold and rainy weather. The jacket is also perfect for the cool weather. I tend to go on runs at night, so  the reflective bars on the sleeve cuffs and back that support 360-degree visibility for low-light conditions is great.

Now that I've shared some of our favorite family friendly athletic items, let me share our tips for exercising with young children during the pandemic!

Tips for Exercising with Young Children During the Pandemic

1. Morning walks with counting.

Our preschooler wakes up between 5 and 5:30am.  He wakes me up and we go on a walk through our neighborhood with a flashlight to count different items. At Halloween, we counted pumpkins on porches. Around Christmas, we counted wreaths and he did a ten second silly dance every time we found ten wreaths. (We averaged 30+ per walk. Our neighbors love their wreaths!)  Right now, we count dogs and he does a silly dance every time that we find ten dogs. It's a good routine to practice counting and encourages a habit to keep moving. My son has a lot of enthusiasm for our morning walks!

2. Reverse curls aka airplane rides.

My little one loves airplane rides. Lay on your back with your knees bent and put your child on your legs while carefully holding onto them while their arms stick out like airplane wings. You then gently lift your legs up and down for their airplane ride.  My husband and I take turns doing repetitions of airplane rides with our son.  (Disclosure - Some preschoolers may be too heavy, wiggly, or wild to make this exercise work for you. We couldn't do this exercise with our older son, but it works with our preschooler! We do 10 reps at a time with our little guy and encourage him to practice counting.)

3. Dance parties.

Turn on your child's favorite music and dance to get your heart rate up. Our preschooler's eyes light up when we ask if he wants to have a dance party! Depending on the weight of your child, dance independently or pick them up for 30 second intervals for an extra challenge.  Our son loves using props such as a magic wand that he pretends is a microphone or little toys that light up. 

4. Scavenger hunt runs.

Put your preschooler in a jogging stroller, give them a visual scavenger hunt sheet, go on a run, and have them cross out the images on their scavenger hunt sheet as you run.  Our preschooler isn't able to read yet, so we put pictures on his scavenger hunt sheet. Examples include a brown dog, blue bird, brown bird, lake, birdbath, stop sign, white front door, and other items that we will see along our route.

5. Speed clean with dusters and wipes.

My son loves speed cleaning so much that his teachers have commented in the past that he has always been the first to help when it is time to clean up. He would help to wipe the tables clean after crafts, lunch, or anything else. He lights up when he sees a container of disinfecting wipes.  It's the funniest thing.  I'm pretty sure that this stems from our speed cleaning sessions. We play music and use dusters to clean baseboards and disinfecting wipes to clean tables, scuffs on the floor, and anything else.  Speed cleaning with fun music is not only great exercise to keep your child moving, but it may also help to cultivate a good attitude toward cleaning for your child.  

6. Stuff animal toss game. (Tossing the trash)

If you follow regularly, I've mentioned this game before. It's a family favorite for us and provides a serious workout. You put a piece of tape on the ground and place stuffed animals and/or pillows on the line. When it is time to start, each team stays on their side of the line and tries to get all of the stuffed animals and/or pillows onto the other team's side. For extra fun, my kids love to yell, "Tossing the trash!"  I think that this game will surprise you because it is a good workout. Plus,  your child's giggles are priceless during this game!

7. Visit a park.

We spend a lot of time at home during the pandemic. When our preschooler goes stir crazy, a change of scenery often helps. We live near a couple of parks that are usually quite empty. When we have encountered other families at the parks near us, they have been kind and considerate.  We just wave from a distance to greet them and then walk a lap or two around the park. Then they have happily turned the playground over to us. We've done the same for others. I don't know if this is a national trend, but it seems to be common where we live.

8. Create a laser maze with crepe paper.

Your little one may have an advantage with this exercise.  We string crepe paper between railings to create a pretend laser maze. The goal is to get through the maze without touching the crepe paper.  You may adjust the difficulty of the maze to involve jumping, army crawling, balancing in positions to plan a next move, and more! Of course, your little one's size may give them an advantage.  Our preschooler will play this game for hours on end!

9. Run like Mom and Dad!

Our preschooler loves to mimic us.  We take advantage of this phase by encouraging him to go on runs with us.   He isn't able to run for 20 minute straight, so we run and walk in short intervals to help keep him moving. We run for a few minutes, walk for a few minutes, and repeat. We give lots of encouragement and follow his lead so that it's fun for him.

10. Stretch and count together.

Teach your little one to count while you stretch together. We take turns counting. Our son used to be able to count to 3, so he would start. I would finish by adding 4 and 5.  He was then able to count to 5, so then I would add 6 through 10. Now he is able to count to 8, so I add 9 and 10.  This is a fun way to teach your children healthy stretches and practice counting before they begin kindergarten!

I hope that you enjoyed this peek into our pandemic exercise routines.  I know that it's not easy to work from home while taking care of children.  I hope that some of the activities work out for your family!