Stretches for kids
Start with
- Ages
- 4 to 14
- You need
- nothing
- How long
- slow reps
- What it reaches
- deltoid, trapezius, pectorals
9 stretches for kids
| Stretch | Ages | You need | How long | What it reaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arm circles | 4 to 14 | nothing | slow reps | deltoid, trapezius, pectorals |
| Leg swings | 4 to 14 | a wall | slow reps | hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes |
| Cat and cow | 4 to 14 | nothing | slow reps | spine, abs, trapezius |
| Downward Dog | 5 to 14 | nothing | hold it | hamstrings, calves, deltoid |
| Reach for your toes | 4 to 14 | nothing | hold it | hamstrings, spine, calves |
| Butterfly | 4 to 14 | nothing | hold it | glutes, sartorius, hamstrings |
| Heel to bottom | 6 to 14 | a wall | hold it | quadriceps, sartorius |
| Calf stretch | 5 to 14 | a wall | hold it | calves, tendons |
| Towel over your head | 6 to 14 | a towel | slow reps | deltoid, pectorals, trapezius |
Before or after?
Before: move everything gently — circles, swings, easy versions of what you are about to do. A cold muscle is stiff like cold chewing gum, and three minutes of easy moving makes it bendy.
After: the long, still holds, when you are warm. Holding a long stretch on a cold muscle is the one to avoid, and it is what most people do.
Stretching workouts
| Workout | Ages | Minutes | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning Stretch | 6 to 9 | 6 | Bendiness is a thing you train, like strength. It just takes longer. |
| After Sitting All Day | 9 to 12 | 8 | Sitting still shortens things. Stretching gives them back. |
| Before Bed Stretch | 6 to 9 | 6 | Slow stretching at the end of the day tells a busy body it is allowed to stop. |
| Long Legs | 9 to 12 | 7 | Bendiness is trained like strength is. It just takes longer and feels like doing nothing. |
How to stretch without hurting anybody
- Never bounce. Slow and still, and breathe out as you reach.
- A stretch should feel like a pull, never like a pinch or a sharp pain. Sharp means stop.
- Bend your knees as much as you need to. Reaching your toes is not the point; reaching further than last month is.
- Both sides, the same time each.
- Bendiness is trained like strength is. It takes weeks, and it feels like doing nothing.
Questions
Should kids stretch before exercise?
Gently, and moving — not the long still holds. Save those for afterwards, when the muscles are warm.
How long should a child hold a stretch?
Fifteen to thirty seconds is plenty, or about five slow breaths. Every stretch page here says which.
Where do these come from?
The way this section thinks about fitness — ten general physical skills, three ways to move, "do it right, do it right every time, then do it fast", and ending a session with a game — comes from CrossFit's published training model and its CrossFit Kids program. Peabody is not affiliated with them. The safety rules here are our own, and in several places stricter.
Nothing is sent anywhere
The Gym is free, with no ads and no sign-up. There is no camera, no pose detection and no leaderboard. What your child has done and their own best times stay on their own device and are never sent anywhere, so there is nothing to lose and no account to make.
Teacher? Share this page to Google Classroom. Children open it with no sign-up.
Checked against how Peabody works on 29 October 2026. Written with help from AI, from Peabody's own code and library. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: if you're worried about your child's learning, talk to their teacher. How Peabody's pages are made.