Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists May 2016 | Page 3
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 (http://www.yourtherapysource.com/getmovingflashcards.html) 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?
25 Bilateral Coordination Exercises: Download of 28 bilateral
coordination exercise sheets including QR codes with links
to video demonstration of exercises. Also includes hand out
explaining bilateral coordination.
FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION
http://www.yourtherapysource.com/bilateralcoordination.html
www.YourTherapySource.com