5 Endurance Activities for School or Home

Some students may have difficulties keeping up with their peers in physical education class, recess or walking in a classroom line.  Finding feasible endurance activities can be difficult in the school setting.  One school I worked at actually had a gorgeous work out room with treadmills, exercise bicycles, ellipticals and full nautilus equipment.  The reality is most schools (and homes) have no formal aerobic fitness equipment.

Here are 5 activity ideas to improve a child’s aerobic fitness and endurance at school or home:

1.  Climb the stairs. This is not only a great endurance and stamina booster but adds in lower extremity muscle strengthening too!  Each week you can increase the amount. Start out with one flight up and down. Add a flight each week. If stairs are not available, use a stool to step up and down for a set amount of time.

2.  Head outdoors! Climb hills, jog, speed walk or do step ups on the curb. 

3.  Jump rope. This is a great workout but can be tough to coordinate for some students. If a student can not jump rope independently, try swinging a rope slowly back and forth on the floor and have him/her jump over the rope for a set amount of time.

4.  Circuit Training. Have different stations to move through such as jogging in place, jumping jacks, high knee marching in place, jumping on a mini tramp and mountain climbers.  Every 30 seconds to 60 seconds move to a new station. Perform for a set amount of time.  Try Get Moving Flashcards to incorporate academic material with aerobic fitness.   

5.  You Tube, exercise apps or Go Noodle videos. You can find endless ideas for endurance activities that will increase a child’s stamina if you have access to the Internet.  Sworkit is a great free app that keeps you moving and strengthening.  Tabata workout is nice for kids who struggle to participate because it is short burst of activity.

What is your favorite endurance activity for kids?

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