Food & Nutrition
Health & Fitness
Education
Parenting Preparedness
Introduction
Making sure that children nowadays are fit and healthy has never been more important, as the majority of modern children spend an increasingly large part of their spare time watching television or playing video games. Physical activity in young children is helpful not only for general growth and development but also, perhaps surprisingly, in terms of preventing some types of injuries.
If none of the precautions are taken, it will be much easier for a child or an adult to hurt his or her foot or ankle. This is more of the case in high-intensity activities such as sports, dancing, and even playing on playgrounds. Lacking the strength in feet or ankles can further result in injuries that may hinder the child's development. Growth plates are very susceptible to injury, and figuratively speaking, require special care since damage will translate to complicated processes to correct the issue. Therefore, it is vital that exercises enhancing flexibility and building muscles should be included throughout so that children can always be safe engaging in any activity of their choice.
Here are some flexibility exercises that may help minimize the children's risk of acquiring an injury and ensure that kids are safe while having fun:
Cardio and conditioning in strength training
In fact, the conditioning exercises are important to be known before getting into them. Cardio and strength training exercises are a must to make children able to get involved in physical activities. Any activity like running, jumping, and strength exercises taken regularly helps develop cardio endurance and strengthens muscles. This base fitness builds up their stamina and muscle power on the basis of which many other activities become possible and injuries are least likely to occur.
Calf Stretches to Reinforce Achilles Tendon
Many posterior problems of the ankle arise due to issues associated with the tendon Achilles. One of the best exercises to perform for improving flexibility and strength in this tendon is calf stretches. This exercise can be easily performed at home. Have your child stand facing a wall, placing one foot up against the wall with the heel on the ground. Next, they should lean forward to extend the calf muscle. They can do this for about 20 seconds and repeat several times for incredible flexibility and the prevention of issues associated with the Achilles tendon.
Ankle Circles—Better Flexibility
Ankle flexibility is one key element for preventing sprains or other kinds of injuries. Ankle circles are a pretty easy exercise that can be done in order to improve flexibility in every direction. Have your child sit comfortably and then raise one foot a little off the ground. They can then rotate their foot in slow, controlled circles clockwise and then counterclockwise. This could be played as a game or when watching TV. As soon as this routine is followed daily, it strengthens their ankles and increases their range of motion.
Toe Exercises for Stronger Feet
There are specific exercises that really help to protect and strengthen toes. These include straightening and curling their toes—repeat, repeat, repeat. To increase the challenge, they can pick up small objects like marbles or towels with their toes and move them from side to side. All these activities provide not only dexterity and strength to the toes but also enhance in general the health of one's feet, thus reducing the possibility of injuries.
Stretching and Flexibility Exercises: Yoga and Ballet
Yoga and ballet stretching exercises will help in flexibility and, in turn, develop balancing skills in children. They allow them to learn how to stretch properly and make the kids more agile and light on their feet. Some of the simple, more effective yoga poses include the Downward Dog, Cat-Cow Stretch, and Child's Pose. You can also use ballet movements that stretch or balance. Long-term practice of these exercises improves muscle flexibility, joint range of motion, and coordination of the whole body.
Warm-Up and Proper Footwear
Finally, one cannot but mention the role of warm-up procedures in the training process and the type of footwear used. Children must do a set of warm-up exercises before embarking on any intense activity to loosen their muscles and joints. Some simple exercises that work towards warming up could include jogging in place, jumping jacks, or a few dynamic stretches. The correct footwear, too, offers the right kind of prevention for selective activities. Shoes designed for sporting activities provide support and protection to the person from injury, like football cleats or strong athleisure shoes for hiking.
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