Children’s footwear brand Start-Rite Shoes has launched a series of fun, instructional filmed exercise routines for children during lockdown.

With families spending long periods at home, there are less options to keep children fit, healthy and exercising. To help, Start-Rite is working with Brytespark, experts in human movement, to create a series of home-based exercise routines (filmed before social distancing). The routines are suitable for different age groups, including:

• pre-school children age 5 years and under;
• primary school children age 5 to 9 years;
• older children age 10 years plus.

 

 

The routines, called ‘Take 5-4-5’, include five intervals – a warm-up, high activity, low activity, another high activity and a cool down – that last for five minutes.

Taking inspiration from High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), the workouts deliver many of the benefits of 23 minutes of aerobic activity. They are also designed especially with growing bodies in mind, to keep children’s feet active and minds healthy. Workouts for younger children, meanwhile, are more story-led, which helps them focus throughout the session.

 

 

Toddlers can also participate via a series of fun, short stretches for little ones. The routines aim to mobilise joints, loosen muscles and nerves, and increase blood flow. Equally, there is a routine of stretches for older children who are spending more time inactive using screens for school and social.

Commenting is Kate Tansley, CEO of Start-Rite Shoes. “Children’s healthy development has always been at the heart of everything we do, as footwear influences how the child’s whole body develops.

“Regular exercise helps children both physically and mentally. We’ve created routines that are free to follow, can be done in a short space of time and from the comfort of your own home or garden.  We hope families will enjoy them.”

The films and the science behind them are available here on Start-Rite’s dedicated well-being microsite.