Outreach Ministries: Youth Exercise Program

In today’s fast-paced, commercialized world it can be difficult to ensure children eat well and exercise regularly. Many kids view exercise with the same enthusiasm they view steamed broccoli. Creativity is the key to getting kids up and active.

• Keep Age in Mind- A six-year-old child cannot follow the same exercise program as a 13-year-old. Likewise, a 13-year-old should not follow the same exercise program as an 18-year-old. Develop activities that meet the abilities of several age groups.
• Team Player- Organize a sports team of some kind. It can be as informal as getting together or a pick-up basket ball game every Saturday night, or a formal team with uniforms and sponsors. You can even set up a bunch of small teams and have them compete against each other, (or better yet, their parents). Tray and organize a game once a week.
• Hidden Exercise- The easiest way to get kids to exercise is not to tell them about it. Younger kids will enjoy dancing along to music videos hosted by popular television characters. Check your local video store for options. Older children will enjoy outdoor activities like relay races, tug of war, and freeze tag. Teens will be your most difficult challenge. You might consider things like Ultimate Frisbee, Capture the Flag, Laser Tag, and Paint ball. (If you are too old to know what these things are, explanations are readily available on the Internet.)
• Make it Competitive- Sponsor a field day with activities like relay races, tug of war, a balloon sit, and obstacle course. Make up teams with 6 or so children each. Make sure that the odds are fair. Don’t put six year olds in a race against 13 year olds, for example. Give prizes to give to the winning team. Make consolation ribbons for the losing teams as well. Kids love to compete against each other. Just make sure you have plenty of adults on hand to keep the atmosphere friendly and catch potential cheaters.
• Have an Indoor Location-Nothing ruins a good volleyball game like a thunderstorm. You may consider asking with a local school for use of the gym after hours. That way, you will always have an indoor location for those days nature refuses to cooperate.
• Ask Them- Surprisingly enough, not all kids aspire to be couch potatoes. Some have very good ideas for exercise activities and would be more than willing to share them, if you ask. Try handing out a survey to kids in your program to determine what activities they would most enjoy. Kids are more likely to stick with a program if they feel they had a hand in the decision making process.

Helpful Links

Active Kids- a list of activities for kids by age group.

Close Window