My Gym: Kids with Bounce

If there's one activity which young children can be guaranteed to enjoy, it's bouncing. With naturally flexible bodies and springy muscles, they like nothing more than to leap up and down when they're excited - but we adults, in our endlessly confusing way, are always telling them to stop. Don't bounce on the couch or on your bed - you might break it! Don't bounce in the kitchen when I'm trying to cook!

Don't bounce in puddles! It's a confusing message because it seems to them that they're being told not to be physical - when, at the same time, we claim we want them to be fit.

Letting kids get fit by doing what's natural for them doesn't have to mean letting them break every piece of furniture in the house or soak you whenever it's raining. If you take your children to a gymnasium, or even to a fete, you may well find opportunities for them to bounce in an environment designed for the purpose.

Inflatable castles are always the most popular thing at the funfair and they enhance fitness for kids at the same time as tiring them out, making life easier for their parents. Trampolines, if properly supervised, can also provide a great outlet for all that youthful energy. And trampolines don't have to be just for the gym.

Because manufacturers understand how bouncing can help with fitness for kids, it's now possible to get miniature trampolines which can be used in your own back garden,or even in a high ceilinged room in your house. With specially covered springs, these trampolines are much safer for children and provide an excellent way for them to use up excess energy.

Encourage them to bring friends round to join in so that they don't get bored of playing with it, and the trampoline will become a favorite toy which will enjoy many years of use. It'll help your kids to get fit on their own terms, in a way which never ceases to be fun.

Labels: childrens, exercise, fitness, fun, inflatable games, kids