PE for a 5th grader - please help

[frugalmamatx]

I need to add in PE for my 5th grade dd {nearly 10yo}. She is very anti-exercise, and any walking / running / etc either finds her tired in just a few minutes or crying because either she has a side stitch or leg cramp. I've brought the side stitch / leg cramp issue up to her Doctor and was brushed off as "well she isn't active enough since she's not doing PE in school". So we need to at least attempt PE to see if that improves things or if there is something actually going on. My mom gut says there probably is something going on as it seems to be worsening as she grows. She already is dealing with suspected ASD and SPD, so her sensation of pain might just be soreness - it's hard to tell. 

 

WWYD for a PE program for this age? She isn't interested in any sports or organized type things. I'm tempted to let her go with Pokemon Go when I get my new phone that will run it - would that provide enough activity?

[Sherry in OH]

Can she swim well?  If not, I would require her to take swimming lessons.  Label it a necessary life skill.  

 

Otherwise, give her a list of acceptable options and require regular participation in at least one of them. Some options that might be of more interest than typical team sports:

 

Homeschool gym class 

Swimming 

Scuba diving

Water aerobics

Dance class 

Yoga

Martial arts

Golf

Roller skating

Ice skating

Bicycling

Disc golf

Canoeing

Kayaking

Skiing

Archery

Fencing

 

Geo caching and/or Pokemon Go could be fun additions to get the whole family more active.

[Sneezyone]

Does she swim well? Swimming lessons are required for my peeps until they can swim well enough for lifeguard certification (for DD that's this year, DS continues). Would she respond better to yoga, something that's soothing and where she could work (with you) at her own pace? My DD is neurotypical but increasingly anti-social (at home), almost like a cave dweller. Partly, it's age and hormones for her. She will swim with her brother or friends though.

[theelfqueen]

How about something like a bowling league? Some of the lanes near us offer homeschool leagues. Or swimming lessons? Would that appeal to her more?

[lexi]

My anti-exercise 10 year old dd swims. That's the one thing she doesn't complain about. She will also golf (and walk the course).

[Rosie_0801]

Do you have a croquet club nearby? It's like mini golf but cheaper. lol 

[frugalmamatx]

Replying in a single post - my multi-quote keeps messing up lol. 

 

She can't swim at all. I'd love her to learn, but honestly I don't think she is ready. She can't stand water on her face {it triggers a full melt-down about half the time}, and all the lessons here require a kid to "dunk" to show they can hold their breath before starting lessons. I need to check to see if dd is eligible for the special needs lessons as they could work with her on that, but she is on that fine line of is she ASD or just quirky NT so I am not sure she is SN enough for their program. 

 

Can't ride a bike either, despite several years of trying. I honestly am not sure she has the motor skills / coordination / balance to do it. I need to try, yet again, to find training wheels that fit a 20" bike AND work for weights over 75lbs {she is about 85-ish, but is starting that tween girl growth spurt so I'd rather go on the higher side}. I've tried a couple in the past and they just bend like pot metal with any force at all. 

 

Sherry - I like the list, but not sure how to make any of those work for us. Here kids activities seem to be very $$$ {or maybe it's just me, but either way my budget says no no no}. The cheapest option is classes through the city {$50 for 9-12 weeks}, but they all require a performance which DD is NOT comfortable with. And they don't take kids with any issues either. The homeschool martial class would take her, but it's too $$$ - $75 a month for 1 class a week PLUS a $500 co-op fee {and signing a statement of faith that I can't agree to} AND $50 uniforms plus $15 every time they move up a belt. 

 

Yoga might work - she is terribly inflexible so perhaps it would help. Maybe I can enlist her friends when they are here and we can all do Yoga in the living room. Maybe I can find a good kids / tween yoga dvd. 

 

Bowling league is out. The only bowling alley on our side of town just closed, and the other doesn't allow kid leagues {I think they got burned by a group a few years back}

[Sherry in OH]

Gently, this is an area where you probably need to pay to get results.   A child who dislikes physical activity is not likely to start being more active on her own.   Exercise is difficult or painful so she avoids physical activities. The more she avoids doing any sort of physical activity the more difficult and painful movement becomes.  

 

See if she qualifies for special needs swimming instruction or tumbling or any classes that work on gross motor skills.  If she does not, look into private swimming lessons.  They will cost, but may be less expensive than you think. A good instructor will begin at her level, quirks and all.

 

If you can get a referral from a physician, your insurance may cover part or all of the costs for occupational therapy.  If your regular pediatrician won’t help, consider seeing a developmental pediatrician.  Otherwise, perhaps a personal trainer could help develop an exercise plan.

 

ETA: Two inexpensive options you can try:

Remove the pedals from a slightly too small bicycle.  You want her to be able to sit on the seat and have her feet flat on the ground.  On level ground, have her walk the bicycle that way.  Once she is reasonably comfortable, move to a slight incline.  Have her pick up her feet and try to balance. She may put her feet down as needed.  Once she can balance down the incline, put the petals back on the bicycle.  Move her to a properly sized bicycle when she is comfortable pedaling.   If this does not work - look for stabilizer wheels.  They come sized for adult bicycles.

 

Get a balance ball (also called stabilizer or exercise balls).  Have her sit on it while doing lessons or watching TV.  The suble shifts needed to stay balanced will help exercise her core.

 

 

Edited August 2, 2016 by Sherry in OH

[Plagefille]

My girls, 7 and 11, like to do Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube. It's fun, free, and yoga with a story.

[Lecka]

https://www.gonoodle.com/

 

I am not sure on the age range, but my kids think this is fun.

 

I think yoga is also a great idea.

[mrshomework]

You could try walking fitness dvd's or Youtube video's that are light aerobic type for beginners like Leslie Samsone. My dd and I do them a few times a week for P.E. class. Her coordination was lacking and this has helped. She was hesitant at first and now she likes kickboxing too. 

[ScoutTN]

Gently, this is an area where you probably need to pay to get results.   A child who dislikes physical activity is not likely to start being more active on her own.   Exercise is difficult or painful so she avoids physical activities. The more she avoids doing any sort of physical activity the more difficult and painful movement becomes.  

 

See if she qualifies for special needs swimming instruction or tumbling or any classes that work on gross motor skills.  If she does not, look into private swimming lessons.  They will cost, but may be less expensive than you think. A good instructor will begin at her level, quirks and all.

 

If you can get a referral from a physician, your insurance may cover part or all of the costs for occupational therapy.  If your regular pediatrician won’t help, consider seeing a developmental pediatrician.  Otherwise, perhaps a personal trainer could help develop an exercise plan.

 

ETA: Two inexpensive options you can try:

Remove the pedals from a slightly too small bicycle.  You want her to be able to sit on the seat and have her feet flat on the ground.  On level ground, have her walk the bicycle that way.  Once she is reasonably comfortable, move to a slight incline.  Have her pick up her feet and try to balance. She may put her feet down as needed.  Once she can balance down the incline, put the petals back on the bicycle.  Move her to a properly sized bicycle when she is comfortable pedaling.   If this does not work - look for stabilizer wheels.  They come sized for adult bicycles.

 

Get a balance ball (also called stabilizer or exercise balls).  Have her sit on it while doing lessons or watching TV.  The suble shifts needed to stay balanced will help exercise her core.

 

 

This. I would deal with the underlying issues first. Get some evals, then make a plan for physical activity. 

You may have to be very firm, even what she thinks is the "mean mom" (as appropriate for her issues) to get her moving consistently. This can be true for NT kids (ask me how I know.  ;) ), so she may need both the firmness and lots of extra support. 

 

Swimming is a life skill and it is unsafe to be a non-swimmer, so I would put that high on the priority list. Definitely find some activities you can do together or as a family or with other kids (if she enjoys the social dimension).

[luuknam]

I need to add in PE for my 5th grade dd {nearly 10yo}. She is very anti-exercise, and any walking / running / etc either finds her tired in just a few minutes or crying because either she has a side stitch or leg cramp.

 

Walking is causing her to cry within minutes because of side stitches/leg cramps?

 

For one, you'd want to make sure she's hydrated enough, and also that she has enough magnesium and B vitamins and the like (e.g. water and a banana). Aside from that, build it up over time. Start with some small number of minutes per day, and do that number every day, and add more time as you feel is possible. If she's really in terrible shape, maybe you could find a mall, park on one side, and walk to some store she likes which happens to be located on the other side and let her buy something cheap, I'm thinking maybe a hair thingie at Claire's (not necessarily every day - you could do this as a reward once a week or something),

 

I agree with swimming - really just push to have them work with her despite the water-in-face thing, or do private lessons - after a few private lessons she may be able to do normal group lessons. At our Y private swim lessons for kids are iirc $21/30 min if you're not a member, and if you get a 5-pack you get a discount.

 

Assuming you're in the US, you can request (in writing) that the school district evaluates your daughter for things like OT and PT, and if she needs it (by their standards), get an IEP and have them provide it (you'd probably have to drive her to school to get it, but you don't have to enroll her - you can still homeschool her). You'd want to request this the sooner the better, since they legally have quite a bit of time to respond to your request and all that.

[cbollin]

Where I currently live, I'm strongly considering special olympics for my ASD daughter's PE credit this year.  (edit:  and some of the local 'burbs parks and rec centers have special recreation too)

 

Where I used to live, I would have avoided the Y like the plague. (don't ask.)  Instead, I would have been over to the university in town asking for help since they have a PE dept and adaptive PE.  The grad students need to learn and they liked having the experience to help.

 

maybe one of those is an option in your area?

 

 

Edited August 3, 2016 by cbollin

[BatmansWife]

If you have a Wii, you could try Just Dance Kids.  My dd is 12 and loves all the JD games.  

 

A trampoline is fun.  

 

Simple yard games are fun, like Ladderball, Rollors, a floor ladder, some cones and a soccer ball, etc.  They may not provide a huge amount of exercise, but it's getting outside and doing something.  

 

P.S...the above things, including 2 weeks of summer swimming lessons and bike rides occasionally, are pretty much the extent of physical exercise that my dd gets.  

Edited August 3, 2016 by BatmansWife

[J-rap]

It sounds like there could be some underlying issues, so I'd look into that first.

 

Then, I'd focus on doing physical things together as a family.  Then it feels like fun instead of exercise.  Go on family walks together at the park, play games outside, etc.  I think having a family culture that does this can really help her attitude if it's more of an attitude issue.  

 

I'd maybe look into a stationary bike, until she learns how to ride a real one.  It seems like every other year I know of a family who is trying to get rid of one!  Or you can get a used one on Craig's List.  

 

Dancing to music videos or mat yoga might be an option too.

[Arcadia]

Bike - I can't balance so I can't ride a bike and I can't skip using skipping rope either. Mine is due to my squint and tracking messing up my body balance. Basically my left and right doesn't coordinate.

My dad bought me an exercise bike when I was your daughter's age. It was wonderful for bad weather days. The small stepper machine my cousin have and I get to use was great too.

 

Swim - took me a year of swim lessons to get my face wet. However I could swim laps without getting my head into water in a few months using breaststroke. My swim instructor persuade but never coerced, water anxiety is something the instructors are experienced in.

 

I reach my full height in 5th grade, before turning 11. I had stitches so bad my face turns pale. Puberty can really mess up the dietary requirements. I would get another doctor to evaluate your child just in case of vitamin and minerals deficiency.

[Peaceful Isle]

I was that girl, and so is my daughter.

 

My daughter loves ice skating and it doesn't hurt her a bit. She also loves to play wii fit or Xbox games that make her move.

She also volunteers at the ranch she takes horseback riding lessons.

Running for a long period does not go well at all for her, or me. We both have pain issues.