How To Do Kids Pilates With Sun & Sand Sports

The Sun & Sand Sports How To series has covered a wide range of sports in the series so far, but we haven’t covered anything specifically for kids, so we decided to get involved with the kids Pilates sessions at Real Pilates to provide some ideas and tips on new ways to work out this summer. Malicah took Bassel and Tima through a session at the studio, applying the basic principles of Pilates to a more fun, engaging workout for kids.

Pilates is all about the mind body connection; it’s a discipline that requires focus and coordination – the aim of the game is to perform the exercises in a smooth controlled manner, so it’s better to do five repetitions slowly and correctly, rather than ten quickly and off balance. Pilates focuses on core stability, which provides the groundwork for so many other sports and physical activities, giving you that stable centre to move from.

Through these focused exercises you will gain control of your body’s movements and overall stability, bringing the body back into it’s natural alignment through specific movements and muscular focus. This is especially important for children to master because this awareness of their posture and alignment will benefit them in the long run, as they know when to engage specific muscles to keep their bodies in a more healthy alignment – for example, sitting in class, or scrolling on their phones – even how to be more mindful of how they walk around! It’s all about coming back to the basics and looking at our intrinsic movements, which is why kids Pilates is such a great form of exercise to get the youngsters involved in.

Watch the instructional video below to see how the session went, and what the kids learned in class.

Here’s a little recap of the things you need to know:

1. Hip rolls: In a controlled manner, roll through the pelvis, find your imprint and roll up off the mat, articulating through the spine, lifting one vertebra at a time.

2. Squats: Bend and hinge at the hips as you push your bum towards the back of the room and your knees bend as you sit back into the squat. You can place a ball in between the legs and squeeze to work the inner thigh muscles simultaneously – this is great for coordination as you work different muscle groups.

3. Roll downs into plank: Roll through the neck, through the spine and bend your knees as your fingers reach the floor and you walk yourself out in three steps (with the hands) into a full plank position.

4. Passing the ball: Keep the torso stabilised, as you use only your arms to pass the ball overhead, which focuses the movement in the upper body, while your lower body remains firmly rooted to the mat.

It’s important to integrate these basic Pilates principles into your everyday movement, and give kids Pilates a go – you will notice better focus and coordination after a few classes, creating an overall discipline to be applied to everyday movement and activities.

Now that you know the basics, get kitted out in kids Pilates gear (and looks for the adults of course) from Sun & Sand Sports online.

Malicah Wears

Bassel Wears

Tima Wears

So you’ve got the tips and the looks to get you started. Head to our online store at sssports.com and check out all the episodes in the SSS How To series to see what else you can learn this week. Don’t forget to sign up to the Sun & Sand Sports newsletter by entering your email in the box below, for all the latest updates from the world of sport and fitness.

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