Maintaining flexibility is so important as you get older because it protects your joints and helps to increase mobility so your risk of falls is reduced as well. But did you know that maintaining flexibility is equally as important in children?

When a child hits their growth spurt, they lose a lot of flexibility, so if they were not very flexible before, they may have a lot of mobility issues. These problems will carry over into their adult life, which is why it’s important that they improve their flexibility while they are still young.

Unfortunately, convincing kids to do flexibility exercises can be tough, so you need to find some fun activities that will help the whole family stay flexible. These are some of the best activities to improve flexibility in children and adults. 

Yoga 

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Yoga is such a great addition to any exercise routine and everybody should do at least a session or two a week because it has so many benefits. It’s perfect for strength and flexibility because you hold a lot of different poses and give yourself a full body workout. It’s easy to get started as a beginner because there are a lot of simple poses you can try.

As your confidence improves, you can start moving on to the more advanced poses. Once you start practising yoga on a regular basis, you will notice your flexibility getting better each time and it will get easier and easier to hold difficult poses. Yoga is also a great stress busting exercise which is perfect because it’s important for kids to look after their mental health as well as their flexibility. 

If you do a quick search online, you will easily be able to find a yoga class near you. Alternatively, you can find plenty of great yoga videos online for all ability levels, so you and your kids can get started from the comfort of your own home. 

Hiking

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Hiking is underestimated as a form of exercise because people think that it’s just walking. But a good walk helps to burn a lot of calories and keeps the joints flexible, especially the knees and hips. If you don’t have any hiking trails nearby, walking around your neighbourhood is still good for your health.

However, you should try to travel to some proper hiking spots so you can challenge your family and get a good workout. Being out in nature is very relaxing, so hiking is a brilliant way for the family to unwind after a difficult week and improve everybody’s flexibility at the same time. 

Dance

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If you want to improve flexibility, get a great cardio workout and have a lot of fun at the same time, you should consider taking your child to a dance class. There are some great dance schools, like Industrie Performing Arts that cater to children that want to dance competitively as well as those that just like doing it for fun. Dance is a brilliant way for kids to express themselves and get fit at the same time. There are so many different styles that they can try so they should be able to find one that they enjoy. 

Cycling

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Cycling is a brilliant family activity and it’s great for your health as well. Maintaining flexibility in your knees and hips can be tough and, as you get older, you may start to notice that your joints seize up. Kids need to keep their knees and hips flexible before they hit their growth spurt as well. If they don’t, they may experience mobility issues when they start growing rapidly.

Cycling is the perfect way to get a good cardio workout and improve flexibility in the legs, and it’s a fun way for the family to spend time together. If you find some local routes, you can try to increase the distance each time and add a fun, competitive element. This will keep it fun and interesting for the kids and give you all a sense of accomplishment as you beat your previous records. 

Swimming

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Swimming is one of the best flexibility activities there is because you work almost every joint and muscle in the body. It’s ideal for the whole family because it’s very low impact, so even if you are not that active, you can still benefit from swimming. Swimming is great fun for kids as well and it teaches them an important life skill. 

If you want to keep the whole family healthy and improve flexibility, you should try some of these great activities together.