Need help with 9 year ols

Pack100

I teach and fitness test children in grades 2-5. The goal of this is not to make them feel bad it is to give them an idea of where they are physically. If your son is doing 0 push ups he can make that better by practicing push ups. He will get stronger. Same with running. Have him do more endurance activities. HAve him run with you. All the test we do can be practiced and improved with effort. At this age it is important for them to know they have control over their bodies. They can control what goes in to it and control how strong they want to make it. We also want kids to learn the proper form so that they can safely participate in these activities.

FitCanuckChick

What the H... happened to dodge ball and floor hockey and TAG! And why on earth are we measuring our kids on their ability to do a chin up, by how fast they run or if they can do push ups and sit ups? This absolutely urks me. When I was a kid there was no testing. We went to gym class and ran our *kitten* off. We had to start changing clothes in grade 6 for gym becasue we sweat so hard and by grade 8 many of us were showering becasue we were sweaty and stinky and we weren't standing around getting tested on how fast we were or how many dang push ups we could do. BTW, when did a kid's muscle strength become so important. They need to get that heart rate going not bench press 220.

I am 38 years old and I still can't do a "man" push up. And chin ups, are you kidding me. I am working on strength now, but it is for me and no one else. But guess what, now I can out run many of the kids that could. Most of my former classmates would not have came in at 2 hours in there first half marathon - but I did. And I can think of 2, maybe 3 of my former classmates that would even contemplate running a full marathon. But I am in pre-trainining mode - and I'll do my first in 4. I was tall, awkward, lanky....pretty much all through school - my 12 year old is a mirror image of me 26 years ago. And I can see her becoming a runner. She would never win a race, nor would I, but we have determiniation and endurance so we will finish it.

I HATE standardize testing in general. It is not so much about how your child is doing, but moreso how the school is doing but at the end of it the child is the one feeling badly about themselves. We have run into this time and time again with our daughter. She never excels in standardize testing (average at best), but she is consistently in the top 10% of her class in her grades. So, I put very little faith in those tests. Actually none really.

Sorry to vent - I just think it sounds like your son is a normal 9 year old boy. Don't think you need to enroll him in every sport in the book now either. My kids are enrolled in more artistic activities - music, etc (and swimming lessons cuz that is a life skill) and activities that will last them a lifetime. My daughter is 12 and she is taking scuba lessons. She will be padi certified in a few months and that is a physical activity that she can do long into her adulthood and senior age if she likes. When they have off time and they are going to the "screens" we will kick them outside to play - biking, trampolining, walking...just kids being kids.

maybe if you cared more about your health and fitness as a child you wouldn't be so weak today. something like say a test to determine where you fall on the fitness scale would have been beneficial as a child... hmmmm.

LMAO - I was never called weak or thought of myself as weak - nor are my kids. But we didn't worry about muscle then. Getting out and kids running and playing and working up a sweat. Thats where the focus was.

I will be sure to tell my 5 year old tonight, sweetie you need to care about your health so you can do a chin up.

JoRocka

I will be sure to tell my 5 year old tonight, sweetie you need to care about your health so you can do a chin up.

when the zombie apocalypse comes- and your kid gets eaten... you'll wish you had!

SemperAnticus1643

I saw "tall for his age" and I'm thinking my children must be monsters!! Say hello to my 5'3", 95 lb, 10 year old and my 5'0", 80 lb, 7 year old. (picture included to show that weight does not always determine size) Are they fat? lol far from it. But they are involved in sports. My youngest plays soccer and is the center back defender for her team. Their 8 year old team plays 60 minute games. She also plays year round. My oldest is the 2nd baseman/right fielder for her softball team. They play two seasons out of the year. She plays basketball in the winter months. She also enjoys running. They both play outside ALL the time. They come in when the street lights come on. They eat like teenagers and we go thru so much food every month. They have been involved in sports since they were 5 years old.

My first suggestion, check with your pediatrician. Next suggestion, figure out how competitive he is. If he's not very competitive you may want to get him into something other than team sports. Maybe martial arts? He can still get exercise in, build strength and kinda move at his own pace. But be aware that he will get hit or kicked back. If he is competitive, let the sports begin!! But start with recreational sports. Be aware that in team sports there are some absolutely insane parents!!

We must lead by example as well. See if he wants to exercise with you. Make it fun too. Good luck!! :flowerforyou:

RGv2

My 5 year old plays Hockey, T-Ball, Soccer, and starts flag football next year. According to what's supposed to be "normal" for his age as far as fitness and motor skills, he shatters.

86muffintop

But that being said all these people who are saying it is madness to test this...are you aware that north american children are on average overweight and/or obese....many are getting type 2 diabetes in their early years....my own neice had to have her gall bladder removed due to her poor diet and obesity.

1 in 3 kids in the US are now classed as overweight and/or obese....that is madness. I may get bashed for this but the problem is that people don't want their kids to feel "bad"...that they don't measure up...that whole "no kid left behind" mentailty that has gone too far...where there are no losers all winners and get a medal for showing up...give me a break.:grumble:

I agree!! At my 10 y/o daughter's school, it's up to their teacher to do P.E. with the kids- so basically, the kids sit at their desk all day and come spring, they will be timed as they run the mile... uhmmm, ok.

I enrolled her in Crossfit for Kids at our local Crossfit gym and suprisingly, she LOVES it! This is the first sport/activity that she has not complained about. She loves doing squats, has learned proper technique for lifting and actually enjoys running. If you have a crossfit gym nearby, you should look into it.

lisal11

I also recommend consulting a pediatrician if you are concerned.

As a former middle school teacher and a parent, I agree that these physical fitness tests are kind of ridiculous. I think it's fine to just keep kids active, preferably outdoors when possible. I've been seeing a trend of schools that require a child to participate in one or more sports a school year. I think that's a great thing.

Also, for kids who might want to "work out" at home like some moms or dads do... Shaun T has a video for 7+ yr olds. http://www.amazon.com/Shaun-Fit-Kids-Club-Workout/dp/B00332W2IU

TigerBite

Martial Arts ... You can do it with him ...

ETA: Your local YMACA might have swimming and other kids activities/classes/clubs ...

comrade_questions

I couldn't do a push-up until I was 21 years old, and now I'm in the military. I understand fitness is important for American children, but push-ups? Really?

alanlmarshall

I have no idea if this is appropriate for MFP but since I'm on here every day, I figured I'd ask. My 9 year old son is tall and thin. He's 4'9" and 67 lbs. Today he did a fitness test in PE. It was just running today. He says he was the slowest kid. He didn't meet the 4th grade standard, whatever that was. I have no idea if this is true but if it is, I'm concerned. He will be tested for sit ups and push ups later. He says he can't do push-ups. He's confident about sit ups.

I'm wondering what can a 9 year old do in terms of working out and getting fit? How can I help him? I run 2 miles every other day. I'm considering doing just 1 mile next time and having him come with me. Tomorrow I'm planning a strength workout and told him he should do sit-ups and push ups with me.

Any advice on what we can do to help improve his fitness level? I really don't know what's appropriate for a kid.

Stay home from school that day.
Forget about it.
Definitely do not force a 9 year old to exercise.

lilacinfinity

gymnastics?

Also, being a slow runner doesn't mean he's necessarily out of shape - he may just be slow.
I always came dead last in the 100m and 200m sprints at school. Middle of the pack for the 400m and creamed them all in the 1500m and longer where a lot of the "fast" kids were walking and panting.

luckyshilling

Those fitness tests were horrible when I was a kid. I grew up with asthma (34 years later I still have it. But some of the newer meds on the market have changed my life! I can do cardio without fear now! ). But the meds for asthma when I was that age were crap!

I could do the sit ups, and the push ups. But I always wound up having a mega asthma attack because they would push me to run on test days. I was such a little people pleaser I would do it. Till the year my attack was so bad that my inhaler couldn't get in my lungs cuz my airway was to restricted already and they called my Mom to come get me and she freaked out on their @sses.

I love my Momma.:drinker:

cafeaulait7

We had to take the same test, and it was no different than gym class, really. (Actually, it was better than gym class because it showed some skills I had where gym class was all about kickball.) The really athletic kids gloated about their results, and the less athletic kids weren't great at some stuff. That's life, lol. I was a slow runner but had a really good broad jump, which I'd never even tried before. Pretty cool overall. My situps rocked, too

I do agree with having physical fitness be something you work on, even as a kid. That's why there are so many sports. In my family, we girls wanted to take dance, so we did that most afternoons. From dance, I got into gymnastics and enjoyed it. Every afternoon with no class or after class I had fun practicing. My little brother took gymnastics and enjoyed it. Later he dropped it and took up skateboarding on his own. His best friend and practice buddy went pro, and my brother now teaches snowboarding and does river rescue! The only downside is that he can't stand being in an office all day (oops).

My love of dance and gymnastics is why I can handle some bad physical problems that came my way as an adult. If I had never been immersed in it to find out what I loved, I don't think I'd have the motivation to stay fit with the back problems, etc, that I have. (And no none of it was caused by what I did, lol).

I'm very glad my parents didn't push us into only organized sport, btw. I don't like team stuff as much as challenging myself with each move. And I tend to hate macho coaches who scream a lot, lol.

6550mom

First, take a deep breath. Second, I haven't read through all of these answers and apologize if I am repeating. Yes, ask the doc if you are concerned. And, obviously playing and being active overall are important.

Here is my experience- not an expert, just a mom with what I hope is a bit of common sense (and a kid that sounds just like yours).

My oldest is 9, is tall and thin. He is a fidgeter and is very active with baseball (and quite good at it) and skiing in the winter.
He is the slowest runner and tires more easily than the other kids. He does NOT play video games or watch tv and loves to be outside playing until I make him come in. He is NOT lazy. I have a genetically low VO2max and wonder if he does too.
He also has trouble with sit ups and push ups and so on. He isn't as strong as some kids.
I hate when they test them and make them feel like it's a competition. He ALWAYS comes home feeling bad about himself.
But, when he isn't feeling like he's being judged, he likes to run and exercise.

My youngest is 6. He is already a muscular little dude and has more stamina than his brother.
He is fast to middle-of-the-pack and super-strong.
I always feel bad for the kids in his class who are coming in behind everyone else, because every class has them.

My point? Kids are different from one another.
Make sure there is not medical reason to be concerned (probably isnt'). Make sure you are doing what you can to promote cardiovascular health (exercise that involves raising the heart rate, invite him on shorter runs, but keep it fun with no pressure to perform at a certain level- I bring mine for walk/jog intervals and it has helped) and encourage him to keep practicing body weight exercises. I just read an article yesterday quoting a reputable source that light resistance exercise is good at building bone mass and density at their age. http://news.yahoo.com/guidance-key-kids-resistance-training-experts-170347967.html

They can improve these parameters, to a degree, with practice. But, there is not necessarily something wrong with those kids who don't naturally have the best starting points.

fleetzz

Include him in your exercise routines! I bet he will love the attention he gets by being with you one on one. My son's friend is 10 and he just did the 10 mile Tower of Terror run at Disney this weekend, at a 10:10 / mile pace!

My son runs with them sometimes but wasn't ready for this length. He has occasionally gone running with me however, he is so much faster than I am he has begged off when I am able to go now.

Play soccer/basketball with him!

ktaylormusic

This is madness!

Testing little kids and making them feel inadequate because they can't run to a certain speed or do a bunch of sit-ups is like some kind of brown-shirt nightmare.

What happened to letting kids be kids?

As long as he is getting some fresh air and engaging in some physical activities appropriate to his age (which you say he is), then I wouldn't worry about him being an olympian just yet.

THIS! Play! Why does a kid need to do pushups?!

I have a nine year old daughter who also has already been made to feel like an inadequate runner at school. In an age of rising childhood obesity I can't BELIEVE that they discourage anyone from participation in track and field and cross country. Fortunately, we've talked plenty about people having different strengths and she's wicked on the monkey bars. And her soccer coach this past year supported everyone -- and she's super confidant about playing soccer.

VBnotbitter

Nothing much to add other than what do you do with a kid who hates sport? We make our 8 year old go to swimming every week as its an essential life skill, especially here where pools and the ocean are close. He hates team sports, doesn't want to do martial arts and athletics isn't an option locally. He does play outside heaps and is a healthy body weight. I'm less concerned about fitness level than him being bullied as a science loving, non-sporty Australian in later life.

Madame_Goldbricker

If his height & weight are fine then I wouldn't worry. As others have stated talk to the doctor to check out it isn't a medical issue. Other than that I hate to say it but life does mean that we can't all be good or the "best" at everything. Sometimes we are going to come last it's just the way it is.

Edited to say that sounded harsher than I meant it too. I'm speaking as the adult who as a kid came last in every organised sports all through school. I was never ridiculed or stigmatised for it though and that was in a school with 2500 kids.

LBNOakland

I have 4 kids, ranging from 18 to 11. My boys were both chunky at 9. They couldn't do pushups or pull ups. My 11 year old son and 13 year old daughter tried to do pullups tonight and couldn't done. I cant do them! My 16 year old is now a buff football player. He can do pull ups! I worried about him wen he was 9. We have begun trying to teach better choices to my 11 year old but he is thinning out and getting taller. I think you should keep them active but not TOO active. We limit our kids to 1 extracurricular activity in the school year. Girls cheered. Boys play football. They chose. In Jan and Feb, we also participate as a family in basketball league at our church. I coach and play with the women's team. Our main emphasis is on school and family. We sit down at the table every night and eat dinner as a family. To me, that is much more important than anything else! They are not eating processed or fast food on the way to this game or that practice. We are talking and staying connected as a family. Their friends love to come over. That's more important than a test that shouldn't be given to a 9 year old!

xapril77x

My son is 9, in 3rd grade. He's 4' 6" & weighs 72 lbs. He is the lazy type so I signed him up for tackle football. They practice & do workouts 3 times a week & then have a game on Saturday. It seems to have helped some. He can do pushups, burpies, etc now. Also when he gets in trouble at school I run him when he gets home & his coach runs him extra at practice. & sometimes I make him go walking with me. I've also been working on his diet & since I've learned so much about nutrition here it's been going well. I understand they are just kids & need to just have fun but sometimes I think some kids need a lil push to get active. If they don't start now they'll have a hard time later on. I don't want him to end up like I did & I wish my parent would have worried about the food I was eating & would have taught me to be active when I was younger. & believe me, my son is still lazy. He's by no means over worked. I have to push him to do anything at all. Even when I try to take him to fun places, like the park or out to eat or visiting with friends he cries about having to go. If I would let him he'd never see sunshine & he'd be on his pc, phone, or Wii U every waking second of the day.

jimmmer

They can improve these parameters, to a degree, with practice. But, there is not necessarily something wrong with those kids who don't naturally have the best starting points.

Exactly.

We are human beings - we don't roll off an assembly line. We are living, breathing biological entities. No two alike (unless they're twins!)

If you expect all kids to have identical abilities, then you'll end up being disappointed.

I think this thread is being viewed through the lens of an American childhood obesity epidemic. That needs to be combated, sure. But making 9 year olds feel like crap because they haven't reach some arbitrary level of "physical perfection" will not solve the problem.

One suspects the cultural relationship to food in the US (and the rest of the West - us Europeans have our own demons to slay) is what needs fixing. Making a 9 year old run a faster mile or do an extra push up will not make them skinnier. It'll make them slightly faster or slightly better at push ups!

A child who runs around outside with his mates and isn't given a TV as a babysitter will be fine. Trust me. Every generation prior to the last couple did a lot of running around outside and playing.

RGv2

What the H... happened to dodge ball and floor hockey and TAG! And why on earth are we measuring our kids on their ability to do a chin up, by how fast they run or if they can do push ups and sit ups? This absolutely urks me. When I was a kid there was no testing. We went to gym class and ran our *kitten* off. We had to start changing clothes in grade 6 for gym becasue we sweat so hard and by grade 8 many of us were showering becasue we were sweaty and stinky and we weren't standing around getting tested on how fast we were or how many dang push ups we could do. BTW, when did a kid's muscle strength become so important. They need to get that heart rate going not bench press 220.

I am 38 years old and I still can't do a "man" push up. And chin ups, are you kidding me. I am working on strength now, but it is for me and no one else. But guess what, now I can out run many of the kids that could. Most of my former classmates would not have came in at 2 hours in there first half marathon - but I did. And I can think of 2, maybe 3 of my former classmates that would even contemplate running a full marathon. But I am in pre-trainining mode - and I'll do my first in 4. I was tall, awkward, lanky....pretty much all through school - my 12 year old is a mirror image of me 26 years ago. And I can see her becoming a runner. She would never win a race, nor would I, but we have determiniation and endurance so we will finish it.

I HATE standardize testing in general. It is not so much about how your child is doing, but moreso how the school is doing but at the end of it the child is the one feeling badly about themselves. We have run into this time and time again with our daughter. She never excels in standardize testing (average at best), but she is consistently in the top 10% of her class in her grades. So, I put very little faith in those tests. Actually none really.

Sorry to vent - I just think it sounds like your son is a normal 9 year old boy. Don't think you need to enroll him in every sport in the book now either. My kids are enrolled in more artistic activities - music, etc (and swimming lessons cuz that is a life skill) and activities that will last them a lifetime. My daughter is 12 and she is taking scuba lessons. She will be padi certified in a few months and that is a physical activity that she can do long into her adulthood and senior age if she likes. When they have off time and they are going to the "screens" we will kick them outside to play - biking, trampolining, walking...just kids being kids.

Um....We're about the same age and I remember doing fitness testing in gym class over 25 years ago. It's not like it's a new thing.

lavi73

So my son was the same at that age... he's just never been the "athletic" type in the standard PE way- mostly because he's just not coordinated. He's never been into sports - tried soccer, but he'd get nervous when a mass of kids would swarm at him when he had the ball. Did that for 2 years (4 seasons) and then done.

He fell in love with horseback riding, which surprisingly is very exhausting and great cardio and strength training. He's been doing that for the past 4 years. He's still long and lean (has a itty bitty pouch). he's now 15 and taking the same tests and his score has improved - he's still a slow runner, but faster than before. He wasn't able to do pushups either at that age, but he can now (sort of). So, i recommend you just find something he likes that get's out physically on a regular basis. Oh and we also got a dog that he walks for 30-45 minutes every afternoon.

And don't worry too much about the test scores (they don't count for college lol)... as long as your son is eating well, getting some sort of regular activity and is healthy, that's all that really matters...

I never scored well in school gym tests either and i wasn't at all athletic (i was 130lbs 5'2" and thought i was enormous - i'd love to be that now lol) - the gym tests made me feel insecure and fat actually. oh well, glad i'm over that! LOL!

servilia

Maybe he's in a stage of his skeletal development that messes with his coordination? This can make him slow. How's his muscle development? I don't mean if he has a bodybuilder build obviously but his overall strength. Ask his pediatrician for advice. Good luck!

wilsoje74

This is madness!

Testing little kids and making them feel inadequate because they can't run to a certain speed or do a bunch of sit-ups is like some kind of brown-shirt nightmare.

What happened to letting kids be kids?

As long as he is getting some fresh air and engaging in some physical activities appropriate to his age (which you say he is), then I wouldn't worry about him being an olympian just yet.

They did these tests when I was a kid too. I don't see anything wrong with it, and it's def not Olympian standards!!! I would have him do the couch to 5k program. It's easy (for kids it should be) and slowly builds endurance. My son has a pull-up bar and does pull ups. He also could practice push ups. There is a push up app you can get for free, a 9 yr old boy should be able to do at least a few push ups.

wilsoje74

What the H... happened to dodge ball and floor hockey and TAG! And why on earth are we measuring our kids on their ability to do a chin up, by how fast they run or if they can do push ups and sit ups? This absolutely urks me. When I was a kid there was no testing. We went to gym class and ran our *kitten* off. We had to start changing clothes in grade 6 for gym becasue we sweat so hard and by grade 8 many of us were showering becasue we were sweaty and stinky and we weren't standing around getting tested on how fast we were or how many dang push ups we could do. BTW, when did a kid's muscle strength become so important. They need to get that heart rate going not bench press 220.

I am 38 years old and I still can't do a "man" push up. And chin ups, are you kidding me. I am working on strength now, but it is for me and no one else. But guess what, now I can out run many of the kids that could. Most of my former classmates would not have came in at 2 hours in there first half marathon - but I did. And I can think of 2, maybe 3 of my former classmates that would even contemplate running a full marathon. But I am in pre-trainining mode - and I'll do my first in 4. I was tall, awkward, lanky....pretty much all through school - my 12 year old is a mirror image of me 26 years ago. And I can see her becoming a runner. She would never win a race, nor would I, but we have determiniation and endurance so we will finish it.

I HATE standardize testing in general. It is not so much about how your child is doing, but moreso how the school is doing but at the end of it the child is the one feeling badly about themselves. We have run into this time and time again with our daughter. She never excels in standardize testing (average at best), but she is consistently in the top 10% of her class in her grades. So, I put very little faith in those tests. Actually none really.

Sorry to vent - I just think it sounds like your son is a normal 9 year old boy. Don't think you need to enroll him in every sport in the book now either. My kids are enrolled in more artistic activities - music, etc (and swimming lessons cuz that is a life skill) and activities that will last them a lifetime. My daughter is 12 and she is taking scuba lessons. She will be padi certified in a few months and that is a physical activity that she can do long into her adulthood and senior age if she likes. When they have off time and they are going to the "screens" we will kick them outside to play - biking, trampolining, walking...just kids being kids.

I'm 39 and we had the presidential fitness testing every year in elem school.

charlenequinn94

is he interested in any sports. My daughter was not really into sports, but I still got her involved with it . Find something he could be interested in.

JulieAnn72

Thank you to all for the thoughts and suggestions. I also remember fitness tests in school and I'm in my 40's so it's nothing new. I just was hoping to help DS improve, if possible, so he'd feel better about himself. I also want to be sure he is healthy.

I already responded earlier, but I don't think many people read my response so I'll say again that he has done sports. We generally try to have him do some sort of sport in every season. He's been doing golf for a while now, and will be switching to a tennis league in the winter (yes, outdoor tennis in the winter - BRRR). These are the sports he has chosen and is interested in, so we aren't pushing him other than telling him he has to do some sort of sport.

Anyway, I appreciate all of the comments. I'm really not worried about him. I just want him to be healthy and not be picked on in the future.

servilia

Golf is a sport for a 70 year old. Not a 9 year old. It's a game.

ahamm002

Golf is a sport for a 70 year old. Not a 9 year old. It's a game.

Agreed, it's definitely not a sport that will challenge a 9 year old physically. Walking 9 holes might be good exercise for grandpa, but it's nothing for a 9 year old.