This workout routine will surely help you to stay in a good physical shape. The most important thing, of course, is that you can do all the exercises together with your toddler or close to him, thus not just entertaining him, but also training his strength, tenacity and agility skills.

Educational effect should also be noted. It is much more powerful now than to give advice when the child becomes a teenage, isn’t it?

You can come up with all sorts of exercises to do together with the child, so the workout routine will turn into an exciting game for both you and your little one. And at the same time your wife will have an opportunity to have some rest but she can also join you if she wants to.

What kind of exercises can a dad do with the toddler?

Morning walks

You can go 15-20 kilometers for 3-4 hours. That’s a serious exercise for your heart.

Your baby in a sling, you can exercise on a playground: to pull up, to push-up, to work out your Abs on Swedish bars by lifting the legs. Your sleeping baby can be an additional weight.

You can come up with other exercises to do within this time – to read or to explore the area for example. While you are doing all these useful things, your wife is sleeping calmly, and your child is breathing a fresh air and your scent, is feeling the beat of your heart. It’s the simplest, but very important communication.

If you go with a stroller, then your hands are free for any exercise on a horizontal bar. With a stroller you can even jog rolling it in front of you.

Exercises with a “priceless weight”

When your child grows up a bit you can perform the exercises together. Your child will actively repeat your movements, thus perfectly training his balance and coordination. There are many exercises you can do together.

It is extremely important to communicate with your child when exercising, to talk to him a simple, but adult language. It’s even more important that you are attentive to the child, smile at him, and not to force him to perform the exercises he rejects to. The pressure on your part will make your little one experience rather unpleasant associations with the sport.

Lifting the child

Usually children like to be raised in front of you at arm’s length. It’s especially good if the child holds on to your thumbs – this way you’re both training. You can also lift your child with one hand. To make it more convenient put the child in a solid bag – thus you have a weight and the child has fun.

Push-ups with the “weight”

With the kid on your knees face to you, put your feet up on a chair and rest your hands on the edge of another one, and start exercising by bending your elbows and returning to the starting position. You are a swing for the child where he still needs to keep his balance, and the child is a precious weight for you.

Rider

With the child on your shoulders, you can perform side bends. The child will do his best when trying to keep his balance and it will be lots of fun. It is also good to perform a deep squat with the child on your shoulders.

Acrobat

This exercise is better to do over a bed so as it was soft for your child to fall down. Grab the child’s hands and then gently grab legs and hands in a random order. The child turns over, sometimes yelping of an unexpected turn, but mostly laughing. It is important to watch the direction in which the child’s arms and legs are bent so as not to injure them accidentally.

The exercise develops your kid’s vestibular system and motor coordination because the child gradually learns to more actively participate in this exercise and starts clinging to your hands.

Soldier

Take the child into your arms his back to you pressing his legs to your chest with one hand above the knees and the other one below. Bend your body forward with your back straight. During this motion your kid will bend back and train his back muscles. And you’ll need to dodge the back of his head in time.

Snake

Walk with long steps and ask the child to run or crawl under you bypassing your feet alternately.

Peek-A-Boo

Your baby sitting on the bed, you peek out from behind the edge of the bed and then hide again. In fact, you simply push up with a funny grimace on your face, and the child is playing a familiar and favorite Peek-a-Boo game. You can work out your Abs the same way.

Do like I do

This exercise trains motor coordination, as well as fosters mutual understanding and cooperation. While performing it you can mix standard warming up with a variety of exercises specifically for your little one, and ask him to repeat after you every time before each exercise. The kid will awkwardly imitate your movements. For example, you rotate your shoulders, and the child rather swings his arms, and when you rotate elbows, the child usually fails to repeat the movement continuing to swing the whole arm from the shoulder. It is important each time to show and explain how to do the exercise properly, even if he can’t do. Your child just needs time to practice and master this exercise, and soon you’ll see him being able to perform it right.

You can do a great variety of exercises here: tiptoe together, perform side bends, stand on one foot and do whatever comes to your mind. For your child these are not exercises but games. Besides teaching the child to control his body, you will get a stunning experience in interacting and establishing contact with your little one.

Sticky hands

This exercise is easy and safe. Both you and your kid stand face to each other and stretch your half-bend arms with open palms forward. You both have the same task: to control the opponent’s hands, restricting his movements and not allowing him to control yours. It is forbidden to grasp the opponent. The palms are always open and touch. To do the exercise with your child you will have to kneel. This will constrain your movements a bit, but your little opponent will benefit.

Hardening

Take a cold shower in the mornings and if possible involve your little one. How to make so as the child is not afraid of cold water? Sit in the bathtub in shorts or swimming trunks together with the child and ask him to sprinkle you with water from a basin. You sprinkle back and both you gradually start playing a fun game that ends with pouring the water on each other with general laughter.

While doing this as well as all the other exercises you need to smile and encourage the child.

Regularity is important for all exercises because your precious “weight” gradually grows heavier.

Dear dads, do you work out with your child? What kinds of exercises do you perform and does your little one react? Your experience could be so much useful for other dads!