Are you looking for a workout app that gets your kids to exercise, leading them to have fitter bodies and a healthier lifestyle? Are you struggling to get your kids off their phone for a walk, swim or any type exercise? If your kids groan, drag their feet, and won’t take their eyes off their phone, we’ve got good news for you!
Today, there seems to be an app for every aspect of your life from finances to entertainment to relationships, it’s no surprise that there would be a lot of workout apps to keep track of your kids’ health. But with the numerous fitness apps available on the market, which workout app is the best for your kids and your family?
What are the best kids fitness tracker (and other options), cardio games for kids, and the best yoga app for kids? Have you heard of the innovative tool called Apps Village that will help you reach your target goal of getting your kids (and other family members as well) up and active? If those sound like what you’re looking for, you are in the right place.
Best Workout Apps for You and Your Kids to Stay Active
Obesity is a growing problem nowadays as many children are not getting the exercise they need to have and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Brett Klika, in his article Top 10 Reasons Children Should Exercise on AceFitness.org, lists some benefits that children gain when they move their bodies more. Some of the benefits associated with exercise are lower chances of being obese, higher test scores in reading and math, better brain and skills development, and a higher sense of self-esteem. Moreover, it decreases the symptoms related to depression and anxiety.
Below are the best kids fitness tracker, yoga, and cardio games apps.
Fitness Tracker Workout App
It’s said that acknowledging the problem is the first step towards solving your children’s health. But what about all the other steps involved? You’ve identified the fact that your kid exercises less than you’d like them to, but how do you get them encouraged and motivated to exercise? And just as important, how do you keep them engaged and interested so that momentary fascination with health and exercise becomes a lifelong habit? This is where fitness tracking comes in.
Set and track fitness targets for your kids
Fitness tracking helps you set small, measurable targets for your kid to achieve the goal of a healthy lifestyle. Keeping track of what you and your family have done helps you know if you’re doing things correctly. It also gives you an idea of what to change if you aren’t reaching your goal.
According to Radu Stefan on “Why It’s Important to Track Your Fitness Progress,” tracking your progress keeps you motivated and focused. Using a fitness tracker app with adequate features also gives you the convenience of providing you an overview of your development with a few swipes and taps.
But the graphs and text on fitness tracking apps rarely grab and hold the attention of children. Plus, most of the workout apps aimed at adults assume that the motivation to exercise comes from the person using the workout app and thus rarely do more than track activities. So what kids fitness tracker can you use to keep track of your kid’s progress and ensure that they stay motivated to exercise?
Best kids fitness tracker workout app
Here are five kids workout apps that will encourage your kid to exercise and entertain them in the process.
Image CC BY 2.0 by US Army RDECOM via Flickr
1. NFL Play 60 (iOS & Android)
The NFL Play 60 app is an interactive runner game where kids control an avatar with their movements. Kids run, jump, and turn to collect coins and power-ups using their avatar. There are also health tips and activity suggestions for outside play when kids get bored of playing the game and want to do something else with friends.
2. Runtastic (iOS & Android)
If your kid is already into running and cycling, this workout app game is perfect for helping him or her keep track of the miles logged. Runtastic is a GPS app that has features such as a calendar for long-term goals, route mapping, and social sharing.
3. Zombies, Run! (iOS & Android)
Zombies Run is for fans of The Walking Dead—or anyone who feels more inclined to run when their lives are on the line. Kids can get their hearts pumping with this story-based workout app where the music changes when zombies are chasing you, signaling that you either have to speed up or risk losing the game.
4. Eat & Move-O-Matic (iOS only)
Of course, a kids fitness tracker should also help educate kids on the importance of nutrition and calories when it comes to their health. Eat & Move-O-Matic is workout app that informs kids of the calories in their food and how much exercise they need to burn those calories (be it biking, softball, or trampoline jumping).
Download for iOS.
Image CC0, by leoleobobeo, via Pixabay
Stronger Heart, Lungs, and Muscles: Best Cardio Games for Kids
Another aspect of making sure your kids are physically fit is ensuring that they have cardiovascular endurance. Cardiovascular endurance refers to how well your lungs, heart, and muscles work together when exercising or being active for an extended period. Having a healthy heart, healthy lungs, and healthy muscles help you lose weight and keep you fit to endure physical activities. One way for kids to improve their cardiovascular endurance is to engage in activities like the following:
- Walking
- Jogging
- Cycling
- Dancing
- Swimming
Some traditional cardio games for kids include gymnastics, swimming, basketball, baseball, and soccer. Diane Lynn, a fitness and diet guru, also offers some exciting cardio games for kids in her article Fun Fitness Games for Kids.
Cardio games for kids
Some of the games she suggests where kids can enjoy are the “neuron jump rope,” “fitness challenge” and “crossover relay.” Neuron jump rope is a traditional jump rope game that adds a twist of letting your kids chant a rhyme to challenge them into hopping more rounds. The more chants they can say, the faster and quicker they were able to jump without missing a skip. Fitness Challenge is another trick to stimulate kids into doing physical exercises or activities through a rally or challenge. You can start by having a list of five fitness challenges they attempt to do. While the Cross Over Relay is a group game that combines the skill of running and throwing. This activity is ideal for your kids, not just to be fit and active, but also to stay social and at the same time it promotes a sense of teamwork.
Image CC BY 2.0, by Georgia National Guard, via Flickr
Flexibility and Concentration: Best Yoga App for Kids
Another exercise that helps with cardiovascular endurance and flexibility and overall wellness is yoga. Aside from the physical benefits, it has to offer, yoga also helps the emotional well-being of children by helping them manage stress through breathing and meditation, build concentration, develop an awareness of their body, increase their confidence and self-esteem, and help them learn to use their bodies in a healthy way. Yoga classes help kids be more aware of their breathing, strengthen and energize their overall physique, enhances their sense of balance, strengthen their muscular agility while keeping them flexible, and develops a positive attitude to be more aware and relaxed. Here, we will list the best yoga apps for kids to get your kids stretching and moving in no time!
Yoga App for Kids
So what is the best yoga app for your kids to use? We’ve listed five yoga apps that can help teach and ease your kid into learning yoga.
1. Down Dog (iOs & Android)
Down Dog app helps beginners set their sequences for yoga positions as well as the level of difficulty and accompanies the courses with music and vocal instructions.
2. C-Fit Yoga (iOS only)
The C-Fit Yoga has instructional videos with instructor Sarah Herrington, who has taught yoga to kids and teens, specifically aimed at kids and teens.
3. Airplane Yoga (iOS only)
If you’re stuck in an airplane with a bored kid who, on the off chance, actually wants to do yoga, this is the perfect app for you. Airplane Yoga has several illustrated seated and standing yoga positions your kid can do on the plane without annoying anyone else.
4. iYoga+ (iOS only)
The iYoga+ app is a compilation of videos showing the full sequence of yoga poses so that users know how to transition from one pose to the next. There is also an option to choose between a “morning” lesson to keep your kids energized for the day and a “night” lesson for relaxation before going to sleep.
5. Pocket Yoga (iOS only)
Pocket Yoga gives vocal and visual instruction to keep track of your yoga journey. It also evaluates and keeps a record of your heart rate and calories burned. Additionally, there is also a yoga dictionary that contains descriptions of each yoga pose.
Exercise and Education: All in One App
If you want a mix of exercises to get them to exercise and also educate them along the way? Then, GoNoodle is the app for you and your kid.
What is Gonoodle
GoNoodle is a company that designs mobile games, interactive activities, and kid-friendly entertainment that promote physical activity and active learning. GoNoodle is currently being used in 600,000 elementary classrooms, but their app, GoNoodle Kids, allows kids to access the varied activities thought up of by GoNoodle on their phones or tabs. Available on iOS only, GoNoodle Kids provides tons of videos to get kids up and moving through dance or yoga. You can download the Gonoodle app for free. Plus, it can also be accessed on the computer or used with Apple TV.
Download GoNoodle App for Free
To download the GoNoodle App, you can access it on the iTunes store and download the Gonoodle app for free, or you can check out their website at Go Noodle to see other content and features that will help you encourage your kid to move their body as they learn. The entire family can also join in on the action and dance to the curated dance routine videos on GoNoodle.
Personalized Workout App
After trying all the apps, you’ve realized that your kids also need a more personalized, tailored-specifically-for-them app? And you can not easily find an app that is available? Then why not try your hand at making your own customized and personalized app with Apps Village.
How to Make a Kid’s Workout App Using Apps Village
Apps Village is a free program that helps turn your idea into an actual app. All you need is a Facebook page with content about your plan. Once you access your Facebook page via Apps Village, the app will then help you build and manage your app. So what are some of the features and benefits of using Apps Village? You get to notify your customers of updates and offers, give away coupons, and announce sales. Customers can book appointments using your app and get to chat with you one-on-one.
Don’t forget to enjoy and have fun
With all the choices available, choosing the right workout app can get overwhelming sometimes. Don’t be afraid to try out apps to see which one fits into your kid’s lifestyle. Remember, as much as you want them to stay active, it is as important that your kids are enjoying it and having fun. After all, they’re just children. So keep it light, simple and fun. At the same time, have fun while spending time with your kids.
And even if your kids are glued to their gadgets, you can make use of today’s technology to promote and inculcate good fitness habits. Through these fun and interactive workout apps, your children will have fun and lively exercises to keep them active and productive.
So, what are you waiting for? Try out and download some workout apps, and start getting your kids into shape. If you want, you can also make your own workout app from scratch and help boost your kid’s health and fitness! There are tons of options for workout apps for you and your kids. Just always remember to keep your kids happy, healthy and having fun.
Featured Image: CC0, by twinquinn84, via Pixabay
