Exercises for 5 to 7 Year Olds
By five, the playground stops rewarding effort and starts rewarding timing. Skipping, jumping rope, hopscotch and beam walking all ask a child to organize several body parts on the same beat, and that is exactly where some children start to fall behind their friends. These are fourteen of the movements our pediatric therapists use with this age group. They are general ideas for practice at home, not a therapy plan written for your child.
Watch it once, then do it beside them.
Children this age want to be good at something quickly, so keep it light and let them see you get it wrong too. Stop whenever your child is done, and skip anything that hurts or that a physician has told you to avoid.
1/2 Kneel
Half kneeling asks one hip to lengthen while the trunk stays tall and steady on its own. It is the same control a child needs to get up off the floor without shoving off a hand. Watch for the back knee under the hip and the shoulders stacked over the pelvis.
Balancing On One Foot Exercises
Standing on one foot trains the ankle, hip and trunk to make constant small corrections that nobody sees. Watch for a level pelvis and easy arm movement rather than a locked knee and a held breath, which usually means the position is too hard right now.
Sit-ups
A sit up asks the front of the trunk to curl the body up in sequence instead of yanking it. Watch for the chin staying off the chest, a smooth roll up rather than a jerk, and feet that stay down without anyone holding them.
Jump Rope
Jumping rope stacks timing, two footed jumping and endurance into one skill, which is why it takes most children a while. Watch for both feet leaving and landing together, knees bending on landing, and a rope turned from the wrists rather than the whole arm.
Indoor Balance Beam
A line of tape on the floor is enough. Walking a narrow base makes a child organize feet, eyes and trunk together instead of one at a time. Watch for eyes forward rather than glued to the feet, and arms out to the side doing real work.
Superman
Lifting arms and legs from the tummy works the back extensors and glutes, the muscles that keep a child upright in a classroom chair instead of folded over the desk. Watch for a long neck and a chest that lifts with the arms.
Hop Scotch
Hopscotch switches between one foot and two, which is harder than it looks, and adds a plan the body has to follow while it moves. Watch for controlled landings, and make sure both sides get a turn on the single foot squares.
Ninja Jumps
Ninja jumps are quick two footed jumps with a landing nobody can hear. Watch for soft bent knees on landing and a quiet touch down rather than a stomp.
Superman Crunch
Long, then curled. The superman crunch makes the front and the back of the trunk take turns in one movement. Watch for control on both halves of the movement, not just momentum getting them there.
Downward Dog
Downward dog is one shape doing two jobs at once: weight through the hands and length down the back of the legs. Watch for straight arms, a long back and heels reaching toward the floor rather than a collapsed lower back.
Reverse Table Top
Reverse table top lifts the hips from a seated position so the body makes a flat table. Watch for hips lifted level with the shoulders and knees, not sagging toward the floor.
Half Kneel Reach
Half kneeling looks like a rest position until you ask the arms to move. Watch for the back knee staying under the hip and the trunk staying tall as the arms reach, instead of rocking to help.
Ninja Jumping Jacks
Arms out, legs out, arms in, legs in, all on the same beat. Harder than it looks. Watch for arms and legs moving together on the same count rather than drifting out of sync.
Dragon Stretch
The dragon stretch is a floor stretch that opens the front of the hip one side at a time. Watch for a tall trunk over the front knee rather than leaning the whole body forward to force the stretch.
General ideas, not a personal program.
These videos exist so families have something to reach for after school or on a rainy afternoon. They are not tailored to any one child, and they are not a substitute for a plan. Your child's home program should come from the therapist who has evaluated them, because it has to account for how your child moves, what they are working on, and anything a physician has flagged. If your child has a diagnosis, a recent injury, or a medical condition, check with your pediatrician or therapist before trying these at home.
More movement ideas, sorted by age.
If these are already easy, the seven and up set asks for more power and more endurance. If they are still hard, the preschool set breaks the same skills into smaller pieces.
If your child is working harder than their friends to keep up, that is worth a conversation. Call us at (914) 939-6400 →