How about a little P.E. over summer break?

My kids love to try to follow along when I do workouts. I came across Tae Bo Kicks which had a picture of children on the front. The description said that it was a fun workout for kids of all ages so I got it figuring at least one of my three kids would enjoy this workout.

The setting is the Tae Bo gym with red carpet. The instructor is Billy Blanks. There are two adults and about 10 average kids of a variety of ages behind them.

I sat and watched the kids to make sure they were doing the exercises correctly. The kids haven’t ever done a workout before so they didn’t know what to expect. They were excited to see children of all different ages demonstrating the exercises.

My 11-year-old was hesitant but ended up doing a great job and enjoying it. When he saw the kids working out in the background he saw that many of them were girls so he didn’t want to do it. I pointed out that there were 3 boys in the workout and Billy Blanks was obviously a man so he said okay and began.

He was interested in doing the moves and could do many of them correctly. It wasn’t long before he was asking for a drink and saying that he was sweating. The moves such as punches and kicks really appealed to him. He was hoping that there would be more punches and kicks in the workout. He said that he liked the way Billy cheered them on and thought the instruction was at the right speed. He told me that he thought it was good exercise and that he thought it would make him stronger. He said he would definitely recommend the workout to his friends.

My daughter, age 5, didn’t get as much physically out of the workout. The viewer is required to count out loud, follow directions, do the form correctly, know which side is left or right, and keep up with the beat. My daughter liked some of Billy’s signature moves such as spinning the hands around quickly in circles (speedbacks) and punches. She was interested and tried her best but wasn’t able to correctly perform the movements to get the most health benefits from the workout.

I expected the workout to be easy since it was for kids of all ages but it really wasn’t. There were punches and kicks just like the adults do on intermediate workouts. There were jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, in and outs, kicks, leg lifts, and so much more. There was a robot move that looked like a dance move which was fun. The movements are done 8 times at regular speed and then 8 times quickly. The kids are supposed to count out the moves. The majority of the moves were done standing up. They went down to the ground briefly for some sit ups and leg lifts.

Billy treated the kids like little adults for the most part. He made the session fun but there wasn’t any horsing around or jokes. It was real workout music rather than "kid" music. I was afraid that moving around would make my kids wound up and hyper but it did not. They seemed more relaxed and it raised their self esteem. They were both proud of themselves for finishing the workout.

In addition to cardiovascular fitness the viewer will also practice their listening skills, balance, and coordination. This was really too much information for my kids to process at once. They had to learn moves, count, stay balanced, and keep up on the correct foot. I was afraid that they would get too frustrated but both of them completed the 37 minute workout without complaint.

This DVD can be found for $15 or less. I think this was a great workout for their mind and body. I think the DVD will have a high replay value for elementary age kids. Both of my kids enjoyed the workout and have wanted to repeat it several times now. It's amazing to see these kids begging to watch Tae Bo instead of morning cartoons.