3 Warm-up Games For Kids
The warm-up is a very important phase that should not be missed before doing sports. In the following lines we will see some warm-up games for children that will be very useful before training or doing any physical activity.
In reality, for children, warming up is not as important as it is for adults. After all, the little ones are usually active by nature. In fact, as soon as they get to the court or the playing field, they begin to play and move.
So why should children warm up before exercising? What’s more, why do you have to warm up with games?
Keys to warming up in children’s sports
There are many reasons why children should warm up before playing sports, but they are not the same reasons that we adults have. The most important reasons why children should warm up before playing sports are the following:
- Get into the habit of warming up before training. One of the objectives of playing sports in childhood is to pick up habits for adult life. If they assume from the beginning that warming up is essential before doing any physical activity, they will carry it with them for a lifetime.
- Calm down to get fully into training. It seems ironic, but it is so. Warming up helps children calm down and begin to focus on what they are doing. And, in general, children come to training quite anxious because they really want, not only to be with other children, but also because they need to move. Warming up helps them curb those urges.
- Mobilize the body in a controlled manner. With the previous warm-up, the little ones perform more controlled and specific movements for training. This is great for working range of motion or dynamic stretching, for example.
Why play warm-up games?
Warm-up games are a much more interesting option for children than a standard warm-up like the ones we usually do as adults. This is due to the following reasons:
- Children do not drastically break their natural activity by playing. This makes it easier to introduce them into training and get them involved.
- Warm-up games allow you to work on general and specific skills. By playing, you can train general skills, including those that are not used for a certain sport. It also helps to work other required in the training in a basic way.
- Warming up is more fun playing. In this way, it improves children’s behavior and commitment to sport.
- The game helps establish rules and encourage teamwork. Through games, children learn to respect the rules and also to value teamwork.
- Games stimulate creativity. Playing we help children to go beyond the sport itself, stimulating creative thinking.
Warm up games for kids
There are many possibilities to create warm-up games for children. The important thing is that they involve continuous movement and include general mobilization of the body. Some ideas to warm up with games before playing sports are the following:
Donkey tails
For this game you need a strip of cloth or similar of about 10-15 centimeters for each child. Each one will place their strip on the waistband of the trousers like a donkey’s tail. The goal is to catch the tails of others and, in turn, prevent them from stealing your own.
After a while, the monitor will indicate the end of the game. The winner is the one with the most donkey tails collected. It’s not really a competitive game, but it’s always an incentive for kids to get a standing ovation for doing a good job.
Variations of the game can be made. For example, crawling on the ground, crabbing, walking or running backwards, using only one hand (perfect for working the non-dominant hand), etc.
Traffic light race
The traffic light game consists of moving through the playing area at a certain speed, according to the traffic light indications. It is necessary to have a good distance to be able to cover during the race.
Signs with the colors of the traffic light or voice prompts can be used for the game. In any case, three colors will be used: green to move fast, yellow to go slow and red to stop.
This is a game of reaction speed that requires a lot of attention. The child who makes a mistake will have to start over. The game ends when someone reaches the goal. You can start over and turn the finish line into the starting line.
As in the previous case, variations in the movement can be incorporated : on the limp, back, crawling, with crab movement, etc.
Puppet in the mirror
The puppet game in the mirror can be used at the end of the warm-up to catch the attention of the children, who stop a little and, in turn, do dynamic stretches and balance exercises. In addition, it is great for working on body expression and creativity.
With this in mind, the monitor or one of the children will be the puppet and the others the mirror. The puppet will make slow movements that the mirror (the group) will have to imitate. You have to put a little imagination so that the little ones do not get bored; play with facial gestures and look for funny shapes. This game can also be done in small groups or in pairs.
In short, for children, play is a natural form of physical activity. Using the game to warm up is a perfect way to take children where we want them to be and give them the opportunity to have fun. This is especially important for young children who have trouble integrating into the group and for those who do not have a natural positive predisposition for physical exercise.
