A review of some of the best apps aimed at getting your preschooler active
This morning my kids woke up in a good mood. They ate their porridge whilst I had my essential coffee to kickstart my day and then I decided to take the opportunity to see how a little morning workout would go down.
See around 30% of children today aged 2 to 15 are overweight or obese (Health and Social Care Information Centre (2015) Health Survey for England 2014) and younger generations are becoming obese at earlier ages and staying obese for longer. Our children are growing up in a completely different way to us, where knocking for a friend and riding around on bikes in the streets just isn’t done anymore, combined with the increasing consumption of media (TV, phones, ipads, gaming, watches), it’s fairly difficult to fight the natural trend of a more sedentary lifestyle.
Of course we are all responsible for getting ourselves and our children active but it isn’t always easy…the cold, wet weather doesn’t help with the motivation to get outdoors, Netflix has given us access to hundreds of films and series we just cant wait to consume and our lives are busier than ever.
I’m on a mission to reframe technology for my children, to open their eyes to the fact that it’s not just about consumption and lying like a beached whale on the sofa binging on Octonauts, but that it’s also about creation and interaction. I want to use technology to create positive habits in my children, including instilling the importance of being active every single day. I’m hoping that if I start young, they will take this through to adulthood and choose to be active as they grow up.
‘Kids shall we put the TV on?” I asked, “TV, TV, TV, TV…” They chanted, except this time I suggested a little bit of morning yoga. There was silence. But then I got some hesitating nods. So I took my chance and here’s what happened.
First of all we tried out a couple of yoga apps -
I Am Love
This is such a sweet, simple, calming app, it’s free to download and includes some simple yoga poses and a narrated story. Both of my boys enjoyed trying to follow the poses (some with more success than others) and stayed engaged the whole time. I’m sure we will be doing this one again soon - it could even work as a pre bedtime workout too.
Enjoyment: *
Ease: **
Staying Power: **
Active: *
SuperStretch
Now who wouldn’t want to do a workout with a super hero? I love the concept of this app, it’s so easy to use, the yoga poses vary in difficulty (which is good for a challenge) and it’s extremely engaging – my boys did the whole workout and enjoyed guessing which animal pose was coming next. This was definitely a winner for us and I could see it becoming a nice weekly morning routine for us all.
Enjoyment: **
Ease: **
Staying Power: ***
Active: **
Then we moved on to some more active apps -
Cosmic Kids (via YouTube)
We loved the way these videos combine interesting and engaging stories and music with yoga poses...my kids were captivated!
Enjoyment: **
Ease: ***
Staying Power: ***
Active: **
GoNoodle
I know this app is used quite a lot in schools at the moment but unfortunately it didn’t get my boys moving at all! They sat themselves on the sofa and laughed at the “Purple Stew” song demanding repeats…not a muscle moved apart from their cheeks laughing! It was definitely enjoyable and I’m sure with a group of kids together they would get up and join in but it just didn’t work for us at home!
Enjoyment: ***
Ease: *
Staying Power: ***
Active: Not at all :)
Then the real work began ;) -
Lil Fitness
This is a really sweet and simple app with a different animal leading a different workout each day. Each exercise lasts 20 secs so it’s good for the attention span of a toddler and preschooler. The only thing I would have loved is some music and for it not to cost £1.99 to unlock all of the days!
Enjoyment: **
Ease: **
Staying Power: **
Active: *
The 7 min workout for kids
Ok, if you’re looking for a proper workout, this is it! I did it with the boys and I was out of breath…maybe that’s saying more about my fitness levels at the moment than the app itself. But this is definitely a workout. It was a challenge for my boys but they did stay engaged and even put on their helmets like the little boy in the app!
Enjoyment: **
Ease: *
Staying Power: *
Active: ***
And we finished with some games -
Push 2 Play
This app was great! As there is no sound or narration I had to help the boys with this app quite a bit but we spent 30 mins trying out some of the different games so I consider this a great success. We did races with potatoes between our legs, played What’s the time Mr Wolf and had a Penalty Shoot Out and we all really enjoyed ourselves whilst keeping us all moving and engaged!
Enjoyment: ***
Ease: **
Staying Power: ***
Active: **
As a personal trainer I love the fact that there are digital products for toddlers and preschoolers that focus on getting them active and having fun… I’d love to see more on the market! Physical activity is so important to our toddlers growth and development. Research has proven that regular physical activity helps develop motor skills, promotes healthy weight and enhances bone and muscular development.
So let’s take the responsibility into our own hands and help our kids get more active at home from a younger age. I’d love to hear if and how the apps work for you or if you’ve got any other hints and tips to getting our little people more active. Enjoy!
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