Get Kids Moving with Exercise Videos

Who does not want their children to learn the value of lifetime fitness? Physically active children have fewer chronic health problems, have a stronger self-image and more self-confidence, and are better able to meet the demands of daily physical activity, experts say.

"There's a lot more obesity these days from sitting and doing nothing," said Jennie Coggins certified aqua and aerobics instructor at LA Fitness in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The challenge is to find something that will get your kids moving and loving it, she said.

High quality materials assist in that aim. Exercise videos and books for children eliminate any reason for not introducing children to the benefits of lifetime fitness. It's hard to get exercise in with today's busy lifestyles," said Coggins who has three young sons and teaches up to seven classes a week.

Videos currently available have multimedia background sets, animation and catchy music similar to other shows children watch. The difference is these videos emphasize fitness, health, nutrition and movement.

"Exercise videos are very good for people who can't get out of the house. They are cheap so they are good for people with limited funds," said Joy Burns, Sports Specialist at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a renowned rehabilitation center for spinal cord injuries. "They provide someone to lead them in an exercise program," Burns said.

Exercise videos are especially good for hot or rainy weather, said Cheree Brachter, physical education teacher at Gwin Oaks Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The videos and books listed here are a great way to get children up and moving and learning about their bodies.

Elmocize

Two-to-6 year-olds will enjoy unstructured movement with their favorite Sesame Street characters. The choreography is very basic, with emphasis on hopping, bending and stretching. There is a segment showing a workout in a chair, featuring a girl with a disability. A small booklet for parents is included (28 minutes).

Workout with Mommy and Me

Three-to7-year-olds move constantly, beginning with several stretching songs. The songs alternate between aerobics and toning and end with sitting down and stretching out.

Instructor Barbara Davis, an Olympic coach and teacher, and her two daughters lead two others moms and their children. The moves are low impact. The repetition of movements, games and songs, along with the steady pace, make it a favorite.

The colorful background shifts every few minutes. It contains some educational segments, such as counting, naming the continents, mixing colors and how flowers grow. It ends with a real elephant visiting the children (25 minutes).

Chicken Fat: Youth Fitness Video

Five-to-10-year olds do calisthenics in a park and on a pier. Dave, the instructor, repeats the 6-minute routine twice. He uses rhyming phrases to educate kids about drinking water, wearing comfortable shoes, deep breathing, and more.

Fun House Fitness

Although rated for children 7 and older, this video is very similar to an adult exercise video. Two enthusiastic adults, Laurel and J.D., backed up by young teens, lead a 41-minute routine. It begins with a warm up and has high-impact aerobics alternating with intervals of toning.

The video ends with a fast obstacle course run and cool down. The music has a monotonous beat. The set looks like a children's playland and includes video clips of kids performing silly stunts (47 minutes).

Books

There is also an excellent series of books by Arnold Schwarzenegger on fitness for children (published by Doubleday and available at libraries or bookstores). Divided by age group - birth to 6, 6 to 10, 11 to 14, they emphasize family and school fitness.

They feature black and white photos of Arnold exercising in classrooms, ink drawings and stories of his childhood. The emphasis is on age-appropriate home and family fitness with ideas to start and birth.

Motor skill milestones appear throughout the books. They contain information on nutrition, organized sports and camps/community programs. These comprehensive books are anatomically and physiologically accurate, stressing that parents are the best example for lifetime fitness.

Videos can be purchased on Collage Video (www.collagevideo.com)