Children's Physical Activity
Children require daily exercise, whether moderate or vigorous. Running at a high speed is considered vigorous exercise, and this type of activity should be performed at least three days per week. Overall, children and adolescents should perform some form of aerobic activity for 60 minutes every day for overall physical health. Building endurance through running will benefit children by increasing the time they are able to perform physical exercise.
Sprinting Drills
Set a cone at 10-yard intervals for a total of 40 to 50 yards. Instruct the children to sprint from the starting line to the first cone, 10 yards away, and turn and walk back to the starting line. They will then turn and sprint to the second cone, 20 yards away, then walk back to the starting line. Instruct them to continue until they have repeated this drill all the way to the last cone. Have each child perform this drill four times with 90 seconds of rest between each set.
Distance and Speed Drills
Set a cone at a set distance from the start line, such as 100, 200 or 400 yards, and another cone halfway to this cone. Instruct your students to start jogging at a moderate pace and increase their speed as they approach the halfway cone. At this point, instruct the children to sprint as quickly as they can to the finish cone. Allow each child to perform this drill six times with a two-minute rest between sets.
Distance Run
To gauge your students' progress, have each child run a quarter-mile, usually approximately one lap around a standard track. Time each child for this run and record his time. After three to four weeks of performing running drills, have each child run the quarter-mile again and record his time. Each child should show significant improvements in his speed and endurance.
