How much exercise does your 4 year old do over and above general running around?

[bodiddly]

Ds has recently turned 4 and is very active at nursery full time during the week but exhausted by the weekend so we spend time either visiting family or the library, drawing, painting and general painting etc. I dont actively encourage him to physically exercise as such ie. football, trampolining etc because I think he needs the time to wind down. As a result I wonder whether he is getting enough exercise by just being a normal pre-schooler running around or whether he needs some more active exercise. I do find that he gets a stitch quite easily
if we walk quickly anywhere and it just made me wonder whether I should be prioritising a bit more exercise. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

ds2 has jus t turned 4 and is always on the move.
goes to gymnastics once a week which he loves
does (enforced) scoooting to tire him out
runs round outside with ds1
he will go for long walks wit dh for several hours....

ds does stretch-n-grow at nursery once a week but that is the only real exercise he does. he does go on his scooter a bit at weekends but during the week his entire day is at nursery!

think boys are different to girls in needing more exercise

I have a daughter same age and 3 days a week she scoots to school am and pm , she also does 1 hour of gymnastics and nearly 1 hour of ballet a week (though doesn't really get much exercise there, it's mostly skipping and toe pointing )

she is exhausted at the end of each day

do you walk to school? that might help

His nursery is too far away to scoot to and he gets dropped off at 7.30am and picked up at 5pm so its a long, long day.

My dd scoots to and from school 3 or 4 days a week. She does PE at school once a week and they play outside every day, weather permitting.

She also does tennis once a week and swimming once a week (and ballet but, agree, that's just poncing about isn't it?).

Last week, when it was nice weather, we also went to the park on the way home from school a couple of times.

That seems like quite a lot actually but she has a lot of energy.

Do they play outside at nursery?

didn't know he was at nursery all day (you work ft?) maybe he isn't getting enough exercise there (I mean cardiovascular, getting the heart pumping) and I would take him out for a good run around/jump/scoot etc etc maybe Sat afternoon

yes, usually a couple of times a day but it isn't a particularly big garden! He is generally an active lad and no fat on him .. except for his chubby cheeks. I know that he would love to spend time being really active at weekends but I am sure he would go into meltdown through tiredness and struggle to get through the week.

My 4 year old dd does an awful lot of wrestling with her brother, much running in the park, and rides the horses about once a week.

I think the concerns over kids not getting enough exercise are the ones who are sat infront of a tv/computer all day everyday and eat junk.

DS1 is nearly 5
he runs round outside like a loony 3 times a day at school 30 mins each then we walk home from school 3 days a week (1 mile) then weather anything except rain he is out in the garden for about 1 hour until tea.
he sleeps for 12 hours as he is totally pooped.
at the weekend it is easier to say that he sits still for about 1.5 hours in the 12 hours he is awake.

We don't do organised sports activities yet, if he has spare energy we cycle to the playpark or go swimming.

IMO 4yr olds do not need structured exercise - their running abound like maddies tires me out just watching them!
When I see my boys' (aged 5 and 6) six-packs (without doing sit-ups) it makes me green with : all achieved just with general mucking about. And if you have ever put your hand on your DC's chest after having wrestled with them, you'll feel plenty of cardio-vascular action as well.

I worry more that there is a danger of scheduling to MANY activities for young children and them getting a bit stressed . Middle way is prob best - I am still considering karate class for DS1.

Bodiddly Our ds is about to turn 4. He is active during the day at nursery - when we can we will take him out when we get back just for a bit more fresh air. At the weekend we always go for a walk, both days. We have a dog, so the excuse is that the dog needs a walk. In reality its ds that needs the walk at least as much as the dog! We find that its not the physical tiredness that is the problem, its the mental exhastion. If he has had a good walk in the morning, he quite often will have a bit of rest after lunch - which he really needs - without it he is cranky all weekend and the following week. With it, he is so much happier and ready for the week ahead.

I only really wondered about it because of the stitches he seems to get if I get him to walk/scoot too far or fast. Also, something someone posted on here about the fact that they insist their little ones get exercise in the mornings at weekends before they do other things.

my dd is 3 and ds is 5. they do no formal exercise but are always on the go, are slim and healthy and happy. Now the weather is better, they are in the garden every spare minute, climbing and running around and on their bikes. I think having an active lifestyle is more important than exercise sessions at this age.

Put some music on and bop
kick a ball in the garden
go to soft play (they do the exercise in this equation. you sit down and have a coffee!)
take a ball or bike to the park
run after them through the house screaming "I'm going to geeeeeet yooooouuuuuuu"

It does sound as if all of your dcs get more exercise than ds - he no doubt runs around at nursery but I think perhaps I should get him to do a little more at weekends. In summer we go to the park every week but I guess that has slipped a bit in the bad weather.

ds is just about to turn 4. he has whatever exercise he gets at pre-school in mornings. then somewhere between 1 and 3 hours outdoors or at activity.

he needs at least an hour running around a day.

Do those of you with 1 child find that they play on their own in the garden at this age? Ds isnt interested and I cant play with him out there the whole time. Still, it wont be long before September comes round and he starts having play dates I guess!

Ds (almost 4) can amuse himself for perhaps 30 - 40mins in the garden now - but we do have a good size garden, with a climbing frame and swing, plenty of sticks, veg garden, places to hide etc (and he can see into neighbour's garden from the top of his climbing frame )

thats impressive mistlethrush .. we have a fair sized garden and he has a play thing but he wont go out on his own!

I have two DSs, 5.3 and 2.10. At the weekend we have two mad activity periods a day if at all possible - usually a visit morning and afternoon to the park. Over the winter we've had to pay for soft play like things, or try to arrange for mad running around games at home. Or get them to walk around town. My DS2, particularly, needs stacks of exercise.

when you say he needs loads of exercise do you mean he is a nightmare without it? ds is quite happy to play with his lego or draw, go to the library etc. I genuinely think he gets so tired during the week that I am not sure whether to push the exercise thing or not.

Ds is a bit like a dog - he really does need the excercise. If left to his own devices, he wouldn't go for a walk, but he would become increasingly fidgety and have a really short attention span and start doing silly things (and driving dh and me round the bend!). With a walk he is so much better - we can normally do things that need more attention, sit still enough to eat lunch (!) etc.

i have very small garden, ds can amuse himself out there for about 20 mins (with next door's cat).

if he doesn't have enough exercise he gets peevish and not happily tired. he doesn't sleep lots either.

We don't deliberately think of ways to excersise our two boys but they are always on the go.
The only 'regulated' activity is swimming lesson.
Walk everywhere
Scootering
Skateboarding
Wrestling on the settee
running round the park, swings, slides,
Occasional extra swim on a weekend

They are 4 and 2. If we don't get their batteries COMPLETELY flattened by tea time they just won't go to bed. Or they start having a mad rushing around session in a shop or something and theres nothing I can do (except ignore the judgy looks).

Someone on here is called boysarelikedogs and I think its true, if you don't give them a good run out at least once a day....

Ds doesnt really seem like this so I am guessing that means he is getting all the exercise he needs at nursery.