30 Muscle Strengthening Exercises for kids

Strength training is a type of physical exercise that is dependent on resistance to induce muscle contractions. This, in turn, increases the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles.

A child’s strength-training program shouldn’t just be a scaled-down version of an adult’s workout program, though.

Understandably, you may be unsure of the fundamentals regarding how to get stronger muscles for kids or how to get muscles for a 10 or 12-year-old.

The following muscle strengthening exercises have been designed to help kids build a sense of balance and control and give them an awareness of their bodies.

In this article, For Kids will teach parents how to perform a list of exercises for kids along with their children, so everyone can strengthen their body muscles and become fit.

As with any sport, it’s wise to have your children visit a doctor before beginning a strength-training regimen.

Each of the exercises in this article should be learned without resistance first.

Later, when proper technique is mastered, small amounts of resistance (body weight, an exercise band or another small weight) can be added.

In general, as kids get older and stronger, they can gradually increase the amount of resistance they use.

30 strength exercises for kids

1. Beginner Push-Ups

Steps:

  1. Begin face-down, with your hands and knees on the floor.
  2. Place your hands directly beneath your shoulders.
  3. While extending your arms and pulling your belly button toward the spine, raise your body.
  4. Using your upper-body strength, slowly lower your body again until your chest almost touches the ground. Do as many push-ups as you can.

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2. Wall Push-Ups

Prop: A wall 

Wall push-ups are a great way to teach anyone how to master a push-up.

Steps:

  1. Stand about an arm’s distance away from a wall with your legs together.
  2. Place your hands on the wall, just a little farther apart than your shoulders.
  3. Lean forward, touch your nose to the wall and then push back to the starting position. 
  4. Repeat this exercise 20 times while making sure that you keep your heels on the floor and your body in a straight line.

3. Plank Position

Steps:

  1. Get on your hands and knees while keeping your arms extended straight below your shoulders and your fingers pointing forward.
  2. Straighten your legs behind you and use your back and stomach muscles to lift your stomach off the floor until your whole body forms a straight line from head to toe. Make sure you don’t let your rear end stick up in the air or your back and stomach sag in the middle.
  3. Hold this position for 15 seconds.

4. Bicep Curls

Props: A small, spongelike ball or balloon for each participant.

Steps:

  1. In a standing position, with your right arm bent at a 90-degree angle, place a ball or balloon between your biceps and forearm.
  2. Close the forearm to keep the ball in place.
  3. Squeeze the arm tightly 10 times, rest and then switch arms.

5. Stick ’Em Up

Prop: A chair for each participant

Steps:

  1. Sit in a chair without your back touching the back of the chair.
  2. Pull your belly button towards your spine.
  3. Lift your head towards the ceiling, but keep your chin parallel to the ground.
  4. Roll your shoulders back and down, keeping them relaxed. Bring your arms up, elbows bent, to shoulder height.
  5. Slowly raise your arms up overhead, making sure you don’t let your shoulders come up, too.
  6. Return your arms to the starting position. Breathe and repeat 10 times.

6. Bent-Over Lateral Raises

Props: A chair and two small balls for each participant

Steps:

  1. Hold a ball in each hand. Sit on the edge of a chair with your legs together.
  2. Bend forward from your hips so your upper body is parallel to the floor.
  3. Pull your belly button back towards your spine. Begin with your arms hanging straight down and your palms facing in.
  4. Slowly raise the balls to your sides with straight arms, until your hands are even with your shoulders.
  5. Keep your arms straight, but bend your elbows slightly and face your palms downward.
  6. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you lift the balls.
  7. Hold for 15 seconds, breathe and then slowly lower your hands to your sides.
  8. Repeat this workout for kids 10 times.

7. Tricep Push-Ups

Prop: A chair for each participant

Steps:

  1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your legs hip-distance apart.
  2. Place your palms down on the edge of your chair at your sides, with your fingertips curling underneath so that they point towards your bottom.
  3. Push down with your arms and lift your bottom an inch off the chair, holding the position for five seconds.
  4. Immediately sit back down again.
  5. Repeat this exercise 5 times.

8. Overhead Reach

Steps:

  1. In a standing position, bring both arms up overhead.
  2. Imagine that you’re climbing up a rope. While leaning slightly to the left, concentrate on stretching and lengthening your body.
  3. Lower your right arm until your hand is at shoulder level.
  4. Return to a standing position and repeat, leaning to the opposite side.

9. Baseball Swings

Note: Although this is a baseball-related game, no equipment is necessary.

Steps:

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and clasp your hands together in front of your chest.
  2. Pull in your belly button, keep your chest high and extend both of your arms to the right, as if you’re about to swing a baseball bat.
  3. Keeping your shoulders down, slowly bring your arms across your chest, as far to the left as possible.
  4. Slowly reverse the direction of the movement to return to the starting position.
  5. Repeat this movement 10 times. Remember to use muscle control, not speed, to perform this exercise.

You may also be interested in: Exercises for kids: Equipment needed & 26 Stretching Exercises

10. Wheelbarrow

This is a fun exercise, and kids enjoy being the wheelbarrow!

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Have one partner lie face-down on the floor.
  2. The other partner must stand between the first one’s feet, facing their head, and grasp their ankles.
  3. Keeping their hands on the floor, the first partner will push up with his arms until they are straight. The second partner will lift their ankles until they’re standing straight up and holding the first partner’s ankles at their sides.
  4. With their head up, the first partner will walk on their hands (forward) for 20 steps, while the second walks forward and supports their body as they try not to let it sag.
  5. When you’re finished this strength training exercise, switch roles.

11. Wheelbarrow Push-Ups

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Have one partner lie face-down on the floor.
  2. The second partner must grasp their ankles and raise the first partner’s body into a Wheelbarrow position (#10).
  3. With their hands on the floor, the first partner will push up with their arms until they’re straight. Then, with their head up, they’ll lower their chest back towards the floor to push up again. As the second partner, you must try to stop your partner’s body from sagging.
  4. After doing this exercise for kids 10 times, switch roles.

12. Stairway Push-Ups

Prop: A set of stairs

Before starting, while standing on the floor, be sure that the children’s bare feet aren’t slippery or that they’re wearing shoes with non-slip soles.

Steps:

  1. Start in a standing position in front of the stairs.
  2. Lean forward as if you were falling, and place your hands on the same step on which your shoulders would rest if you were to continue falling.
  3. Slowly push up and away from the stairs, as if you were doing a push-up.
  4. Return to the straight-arm position and repeat the complete movement 20 times.

13. Throwing a Ghost Ball

Steps:

  1. Pretend to throw a baseball. Go through the entire movement several times with one arm and then switch to the other arm. When you switch, you may find that it feels very different.
  2. Repeat the movement several times again, with each arm.

Variation: Have the children pretend to shoot a basketball, while going through the same process as with the ghost baseball. Be sure to try this fun exercise with both arms, too!

14. Punching Arms

Two young boys doing ghost punches towards each other

Steps:

  1. Imagine that a punching bag is hanging in front of you.
  2. Using both arms, punch fast, slow and from different angles.
  3. If one hand is leading the punches, switch hands and try this exercise with the other.
  4. Repeat this strength training exercise several times.

15. Overhead Press

Steps:

  1. With both elbows bent, and both hands in fists resting just above your shoulders, extend your arms straight up overhead.
  2. Return to the starting position and repeat the complete movement 20 times.

For an extra challenge, this exercise can be done with one- to two-pound weights.

16. External Rotation

Steps:

  1. Lie on your left side on the floor, with your legs together and your knees slightly bent.
  2. Rest your head in your left hand or lie on your outstretched arm.
  3. Position your right arm along your side, bend your elbow at a 90-degree angle and rest your right forearm on your stomach, with your palm facing your stomach.
  4. While keeping your upper arm stationary, slowly raise your right hand as far as you can.
  5. Slowly lower your right hand towards your stomach again.
  6. Repeat this exercise game for kids several times, and then switch sides.

17/. Tricep Push-Aways

Prop: A wall

Steps:

  1. Stand with your back leaning against a wall and your arms down along your sides with your palms touching the wall.
  2. Push yourself away from the wall by using the palms of your hands.
  3. Repeat the motion 10 times.

18. Basketball Hook

Steps:

  1. Stand tall with your arms at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Raise your right arm up and out to your side. Keep your hand at waist-level to start, pulling your belly button back towards your spine as you do.
  3. Slightly tilt your body to the left, and in a semicircular motion, extend your right arm back and up towards your shoulder.
  4. Reach up and over your head towards the left side, as far as you can go.
  5. Repeat this strength training for kids and teens 10 times and then switch sides. At all times, perform this movement very slowly.

19. Boxing

Steps:

  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
  2. Bend your arms at the elbows, bringing them towards your body and keeping your fists at chin level.
  3. Moving from the waist and not the knees, slowly bend your upper body down and to the left, as if avoiding a punch that’s been thrown at your head.
  4. Return to the center and alternate, side-to-side, 20 times.

20. Speed Bag

Steps:

  1. In a standing position, bring both arms up to chest height in front of you.
  2. While bending at the elbows, bring your fists together, with one on top of the other.
  3. Imagine a speed bag in front of your chin and begin rotating fist over fist as fast as you can, repeating the movement for 30 seconds before reversing the rotation. Be careful not to punch yourself!

21. Towel Tug of War

Props: Two bath towels for each pair

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand, facing your partner.
  2. Take two bath towels and loop them together, so that each person has two ends to grip in their hands.
  3. As your partner begins to pull the towels towards their chest, challenge their strength by adding some resistance.
  4. Repeat this exercise 20 times and then switch roles.

22. Towel Pull-Downs

Prop: A bath towel for each pair

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. One partner must kneel on the floor and take hold of one end (two corners) of a towel.
  2. The other partner must stand above, holding the other end of the towel.
  3. The object of this movement is for the kneeling partner to pull down on the towel while the standing partner challenges the kneeling one’s strength by adding resistance.
  4. Repeat this exercise 25 times.

23. Chest Squeeze

Prop: A small-to-medium-sized firm ball for each participant

Steps:

  1. In a standing position, take hold of a ball between the palms of your hands.
  2. Holding the ball at chest height, press your hands firmly into the ball.
  3. Bring your arms up overhead while squeezing the ball, and then lower them.
  4. Repeat this exercise 30 times.

24. Lateral Lift, Palms Down

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand, facing your partner.
  2. Have your partner raise their arms out to their sides at shoulder height, with their palms down. Place your hands lightly on top of your partner’s hands.
  3. Have your partner slowly lift their arms up, while you apply light resistance.
  4. Hold the press, rest and repeat 25 times before switching roles.

25. Lateral Lift, Palms Up

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand, facing your partner.
  2. Have your partner raise their arms out to their sides at shoulder height, with their palms up.
  3. Place your hands lightly on top of your partner’s hands.
  4. Have your partner slowly lift their arms up, while you apply light resistance.
  5. Hold the press, rest and repeat 25 times before switching roles.

26. Frontal Lift, Palms Down

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand, facing your partner.
  2. Have your partner raise their arms straight out in front at shoulder height, with their palms down,
  3. Place your hands lightly on top of your partner’s hands.
  4. Have your partner slowly lift their arms up, while you apply light resistance.
  5. Hold the press, rest and repeat 25 times before switching roles.

27. Frontal Lift, Palms Up

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand, facing your partner.
  2. Have your partner raise their arms straight out in front at shoulder height, with their palms up.
  3. Place your hands lightly on top of your partner’s hands.
  4. Have your partner slowly lift their arms up, while you apply light resistance.
  5. Hold the press, rest, and repeat this workout 25 times before switching roles.

28. Bicep Resistance

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand behind your partner.
  2. Have your partner make fists, with their hands turned palm-up.
  3. Next, asking your partner to keep their elbows at their sides, have your partner bend their arms at the elbow.
  4. Place your hands on top of your partner’s fists.
  5. Instruct your partner to bring their fists towards their shoulders while you apply gentle pressure.
  6. Repeat this strength exercise for kids 25 times, and then switch roles.

Variation: If one partner isn’t quite tall enough to stand behind the other and perform this exercise, they may stand in front of the other partner.

29. Reverse-Fly Resistance

Divide the group into pairs or have the players choose partners.

Steps:

  1. Stand, facing your partner.
  2. To begin, place your arms straight down in front of your body, shoulder-width apart, with your palms facing each other.
  3. Your partner must then place their arms inside of your arms, by your wrists. The objective is to have your partner push your arms open while you provide resistance.
  4. Repeat this exercise 10 times and then switch roles.

Note: If one partner is taller than the other, have the tall partner sit in a chair.

Variation: If both partners are strong, they can perform this exercise one arm at a time.

30. Outdoor Playground

Swings, play structure and kids at outdoor playground

The time spent together with your kids at a playground may be the biggest benefit of a playground workout, but the equipment still provides a great deal of exercise, too.

Climbing on the monkey bars challenges a child’s upper body as they hold on to each bar with their feet off the ground and then move from one bar to the next, using only their hands.

The teeter-totter provides an excellent opportunity for a child to strengthen their legs, as they push up and then softly land, using only her legs.

Pumping the swing higher and higher is a good workout for both the leg and stomach muscles—for kids and adults alike.

Doing strength exercise activities for children as often as possible, such as on a daily basis, will naturally make the children more active and strong.

image 2: Alpha; image 3: Pixabay