6 videos: exercise for parents and children during the quarantine (Part 1)
Both children and adults need movement during the quarantine – movement strengthens your immune system and creates shared experiences. So dear parents, if you work from home and have children between 5–8 years old- we offer you inspiration for playful fun. These videos can help you unwind after a long week of work and homeschooling.
The head teacher of our club Martin Švihla (5th dan Aikikai) and his daughter recently made Aikido videos for children. We present them in this series of articles (this is part one) edited for home use.
Here’s how:
- Watch the videos with your kids
- Choose one you like
- Try it
- Have fun—the most important part!
We use games and exercises in our children’s Aikido training- here we have selected the ones you can do at home, which are:
- simple and safe,
- manageable within limited space,
- only require common household equipment,
- do not require special knowledge or training from the adults,
- can mostly be done by one adult and one or more children,
- some may be led by older children without adults.
You and your children can also think of your own exercises!
Find the first six videos here:
Dodging
Perception of space, flexibility, movement versatility – these can be developed by slow and fast dodging. This video includes 7 dodging exercises and a stuffed animal.
Attention: use only soft objects and do not throw too fast.
Giant and Dwarf
An endless game for little ones! Adults can enjoy some pleasant stretches if they make big, slow movements. We recommend the Giant make terrifying sounds for the Dwarf.
Recommended age (dwarf) 4–8 years.
Animals
These exercises develop basic locomotion (crawling, climbing, jumping) while playing animals. Adults can also play – you can even race. And don’t forget to say hello after each round.
Basic fall and returning to upright
The first exercise is a pleasant stretch, the other will be appreciated more by children who have already practiced aikido. Adults can do some squats. You can use carpet or sleeping mats instead of gym mats.
Warm-up
This small warm-up increases bodily awareness and focuses on individual body parts… Older children can try to twist their elbows in the same direction, or their shoulders against each other (one arm forward and the other back).
We recommend warming up before exercising – especially for adults.
Tying your belt
This article was originally written for the parents of our youngest practitioners of Aikido – so here is how you tie your belt. This makes an excellent coordination exercise – we uploaded it especially for small Aikidists.
These exercises develop basic motor skills and coordination. They derive not only from traditional Aikido exercises, but also from modern physical education and pedagogical practices (we take a lot of inspiration from the Canadian system Physical Literacy, for example).
Soon we will add more parts of this article soon – you will find videos with exercises for healthy feet, jumping, throwing and catching, balance… leave your e‑mail and we will send you notification e‑mail:
