AGES 5–10
PEDIATRIC SKILLS
Anyone working with children needs two overlapping skill sets: exercise skills appropriate to a growing body, and first-aid skills for a body that is smaller and structured differently from an adult’s. Both are taught in specific courses; neither is covered by a standard adult personal trainer certification, which is the most common assumption people make.
EXERCISE SKILLS FOR A GROWING BODY
- Children respond to training differently: aerobic capacity develops with play and volume, not with adult-style interval programs.
- Coordination is the trainable quality at ages 5–10: running, jumping, throwing, balancing — the movement skills themselves, before any load.
- Strength work for kids means bodyweight movements and supervised technique, not progressive loading; the guidelines live in each provider’s youth exercise specialization.
- Fun is the delivery mechanism, not the reward: a child who stops enjoying the sessions stops attending, and attendance is the outcome that matters.
FIRST-AID SKILLS FOR A SMALLER BODY
- Child and infant CPR are taught separately from adult CPR, with different compression depths, hand positions and ratios — a pediatric module is a specific tier, not an add-on to an adult course.
- Choking response differs by age: back blows and chest thrusts for infants, abdominal thrusts for older children — the exact sequences live in each provider’s pediatric first-aid course.
- An AED is used on children with pediatric pads and an attenuator where available; the course covers when and how.
- Anyone working with kids should confirm the course includes pediatric modules rather than assuming an adult CPR certificate covers them.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
- American Heart Association: find a CPR and first aid course →
Authorized AHA Training Centers; look for courses that include child and infant modules.
- American Red Cross: take a class →
Includes pediatric first aid, CPR and AED courses, online, in-person and blended.
- World Health Organization: physical activity for children →
Official activity guidelines for children and adolescents, including the 5–17 age range.
Plan the weekly study around the exam-day checklist and the CPR, AED & first-aid page. I am still working toward these skills myself — see the about page — so this page points to official sources only and does not reproduce any provider’s materials.
QUICK ANSWERS
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Does an adult CPR certificate cover child and infant CPR?
No. Child and infant CPR are taught as separate pediatric modules with different compression depths, hand positions and ratios. Anyone working with children should take a course that explicitly includes the pediatric tier.
What kind of exercise is appropriate for children aged 5–10?
Play-based activity that builds coordination — running, jumping, throwing, balancing — with bodyweight movements only and no progressive loading. The World Health Organization’s activity guidelines for children list the official daily amounts.