Zumba for Kids: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents

Zumba is a high-energy workout and fitness program in the form of a dance 💃🏽, which is beneficial and fun for your kids. 

In simple terms, Zumba is a Latin-dance-inspired aerobic workout routine that is famous and practiced across the globe 🌎.

One of the reasons Zumba is so popular is because it involves dancing to the beats of salsa, flamenco, and merengue with choreographed moves, which makes it less of a workout 💪🏼 and more of a dance party.

As a mother, I understand how essential being fit and healthy is for our kids to improve their overall well-being while also making the workout exciting. So, in my opinion, Zumba is a great option to consider 💭.

In this blog post, I have included a guide 📑 on Zumba for you to refer to and introduce your kids to the wonderful world of Zumba workouts. 😁

History Behind Zumba

Alberto “Beto” Perez, a choreographer and fitness instructor, sowed the seed of the now-popular workout, Zumba, in the mid-1990s.

You could call this a happy accident of sorts, as Alberto Perez was on his way to teach aerobics but realized he had forgotten the music 🎶 for the class. So, thanks to his quick thinking, he made use of the merengue and salsa tapes 📼 to teach the class a mix of aerobics and dance. 

Alberto Perez began teaching this new mixed style he came up with, which included a combination of aerobics and dance, in Miami in 2001. He then met two Colombians, Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, who collectively called this newly created style – Zumba.

Modern-Day Zumba

In 2001, Alberto Perez, Alberto Perlman, and Alberto Aghion opened a fitness-based company called Zumba Fitness, LLC.

Today, Zumba has become bigger than just an exercise and has now become a well-known brand. The trademark ™️ for the Zumba exercise is owned by this company – Zumba Fitness, LLC.

The company Zumba, run with the same name as the workout, is now the representative of the Zumba exercise, and they run classes for all age groups. The instructors who lead the Zumba classes are certified by Zumba Fitness, LLC. 

The company offers classes in 180 countries in over 200,000 locations📍, with over 15 million people participating in their Zumba classes.

Zumba Fitness offers three types of classes designed for kids 👧🏽 from different age groups out of their many other types of Zumba workout classes that include –

• Zumbini for the little babies between the ages of 0 to 4 

(along with a parent or caregiver to accompany them)

• Zumba Kids Jr. for younger kids between the ages of 4 to 6
• Zumba Kids for older kids between the ages of 7 to 11

These Zumba classes run by the Zumba company are specifically designed for kids and their levels. The routines are fun and kid-friendly.

Story Behind the Name Zumba

Alberto Perez decided on the name Zumba because it was similar to Rumba, which is a genre of Cuban music 🎵. It was also an homage to Rumba. 

As the story goes – he and his partners kept replacing the first letter of Rumba with various letters until they came to Sumba, which they liked. 

Perez then replaced the letter S in Sumba with the letter Z as an ode to the fictional character – Zorro, whom he loved in his childhood, and thus wanted Zumba to be spelled with a Z instead to show his love for this character and childhood hero 🦸🏽 of his childhood dreams.

How to Do Zumba

Play some lively Latin-inspired and upbeat music 🎶, and get your kids to put on their dancing shoes 👟 and their comfiest workout clothes 👕 to move to the beats of the music doing the Zumba exercise routines for a time period. 

The best part about Zumba workouts is that they are easy to follow and thus perfect 👍🏼 for beginners without any prior practice.

I would suggest you include Zumba workouts in the weekly routine ⏰ of your kids and get them to do this exercise, preferably one to three times a week, anywhere between forty-five minutes to an hour.

You can play Zumba workout tutorials on YouTube📱for your kids to follow or sign them up for online Zumba classes that they can follow along with a trained professional.

The Zumba Fitness company also offers three versions of their classes curated for kids based on the age group they belong to. You can enroll your kids for a group Zumba class in a location near you if you want to give it a try or join their online classes for kids to participate from home.

Outfits for Zumba

A comfortable set of clothes and a pair of shoes are essential to make the overall Zumba sessions more comfortable and smooth for your kids.

Clothes to Wear

You can get your kids to wear comfortable workout clothes 👕, like T-shirts, shorts, sweat pants, etc., with lightweight material that is also sweat-proof.

Zumba involves a lot of dancing and movement as a workout, and comfort is always necessary for kids to move without much difficulty. 

Shoes to Wear

When choosing the right shoes 👟 for your kids, you can opt for shoes with a low tread. I would recommend cross-trainers, light sneakers, and dance shoes for your kids.

I would say that investing in comfortable shoes can help your kids move quickly and easily in different directions and do different movements, as Zumba involves a lot of moving around.

Five Elements of Zumba

There are five ️⃣ elements that contribute to a good Zumba workout session for your kids –

• A certified Zumba instructor 🤸🏽‍♀️ (live classes or online)
• A warm and friendly 🥰 community of people to dance/exercise with
• A lively and energizing music playlist 🎵 to groove to the beats of
• A spacious enough space 🏠 to move around freely 
• A fun and challenging choreography🕺🏾to practice and perfect

Benefits of Zumba 

Zumba workouts offer various benefits for your kids, and I have listed some of the benefits below – 

Promotes Active Lifestyle

As a mother, I actively try to ensure that my kids have an active life where they move their bodies more with exercises like Zumba to become healthier and fit 🏃🏽‍♀️. 

Zumba is a fun dance routine in the form of an exercise that can help kids stay active and spend more time doing physical activities. 

Sometimes, our kids spend too much time sitting in one place, which is bad for their health. A few hours of Zumba every week can go a long way to helping your kids maintain an active lifestyle.

Enhances Flexibility

Zumba can help your kids become flexible 🤸🏽‍♀️ with their movements, which allows them to complete day-to-day activities and tasks more efficiently. 

Zumba provides kids with a chance to work out their entire body with movements to a rhythmic beat. 

Being flexible also prevents injuries and helps kids do better in sports and activities that require physical movement. The workouts also target different parts of their bodies and strengthen their glutes, legs, and core.

Provides Full Body Workout

The best part about Zumba is that it provides a full-body workout for kids.

They have to move their entire body to the rhythm of the beats, which allows them to stay fit and active.

The movements in Zumba are quick and fast, which requires your kids to utilize their full body to dance and exercise, which also energizes their bodies.

Reduces Stress Levels

Zumba is a great stress buster 😎 and can help your kids dance their worries away and indulge in a productive dance exercise. 

As your kids engage in Zumba workouts, their brain releases hormones like endorphins, which help relieve and reduce any built-up stress.

A session of Zumba can help your kids clear their minds and reset their moods as they spend time dancing 🕺🏾 and moving around.

Burns Calories

If you want your kids to burn a few calories, you could get them to try a Zumba workout consistently, which does the job. 

Children are generally active and bursting with energy, and you can give them a way to channel all that energy in their Zumba choreography. 

In Zumba, your kids will move, twist, turn, squat, bend, shake, jump, and so on, as a part of the choreography that is done to upbeat music, which also requires a lot of energy to complete.

Improves Endurance

As Zumba is fast-paced most of the time, it requires your kids to do movements to match the rhythms, and it helps your kids build their endurance levels as time passes.

Consistently doing Zumba workouts can help kids improve and develop their endurance 🏃🏽‍♀️ and stabilize their core.

I would say that my son was able to perform better in sports and track and field events, thanks to his improved endurance levels due to the Zumba workouts he does consistently.

Develops Coordination

Coordination is an essential element in Zumba, and kids require a certain level of coordination to follow the dance routine and the steps and movements. 

Consistently engaging in Zumba routines can help your kids slowly develop their coordination abilities for the better, which can also help with their reflexes and in playing a sport 🏏.

Boosts Metabolism

Zumba is a great way for your kids to boost their metabolism, as it is a cardio workout with various dance and exercise movements.

Zumba workouts also help improve the blood 🩸 circulation in your kids along with boosting their metabolism.

Encourages Beginners

As I mentioned earlier, Zumba is a workout that can be done even by beginners without much difficulty, as the steps are easy to follow. 

The workout is designed as a Latin-inspired dance routine, which your kids can follow by copying the movements from a tutorial or trainer. 

My son was hesitant and nervous at first to try Zumba due to the idea that it might not be for him, and to his surprise, Zumba routines were fairly easy for him if he let go of his fears and tried his best.

Offers Fun Time

I cannot tell you how much fun 🤩 and exciting Zumba can be for your kids to engage with – to put on their dancing shoes and groove to the rhythm. 

Zumba has the power to transform dull days into fun-filled days for your kids, which is something I speak from personal experience.

As my son would say, Zumba is a dance party that also is an exercise done in an interesting and exciting way.

Disadvantages of Zumba

Apart from the various benefits that Zumba workouts have to offer, they also have a few disadvantages, and I have listed some of them here –

Difficult to Keep Up

Although I mentioned that Zumba is fairly easy for your kids to try, which still is the case, it might be a bit difficult 😣 for certain kids to keep up with the rhythms and the movements done at a fast pace. 

Zumba is fast-paced in nature, which requires a certain level of coordination to follow. This makes it hard for kids to move to the beats while also being quick.

There is nothing to worry about, as with enough consistent practice, I guarantee your kids can soon follow the beats of the music and match it with quick moves. 

Risk of Injury

Like any other dance and exercise routine, there is a possible risk of injury 🤕 in Zumba, too. 

One small misstep while doing the quick movements and dance routines can lead to a possible injury, sprain, spasm, or strain for your kids.

There are other causes of injuries that occur during Zumba workouts –

• Wearing the wrong footwear
• Not doing warm-ups correctly and sufficiently before their workout
• Improper alignment of their bodies
• Poor nutrition intake 
• Not drinking enough water and being dehydrated.

Tips to Follow

I would like to share some tips you can consider to make the overall experience of Zumba workouts easy and exciting for your kids –

• I would suggest you get your kids to eat something light before they start their Zumba sessions, like fruits 🍎 or nuts 🥜. They can also have a meal, ideally, 2 hours before they begin their Zumba session.
• It is always good to stay hydrated – you can let your kids drink water 💧 at least 20 minutes before the Zumba session, and they can also have a few sips in between breaks and drink plenty of water after.

I want to remind you that hydration is extremely essential for kids.

• If your kids have any health conditions 🩺 or concerns, it is advised that you get a doctor’s approval on whether your kids try Zumba.
• In the beginning, you can get your kids to do fewer sessions of Zumba workouts with breaks in between, and then slowly increase the number #️⃣ of sessions as your kids become comfortable.
• Before your kids begin their Zumba workout session at home 🏡, you can rearrange the furniture a bit to make more space for them to freely move around without getting hurt.

A Note for You

Although Zumba is generally done in a group session with a number of people in a space, your kids can also do it within the comforts of their homes.

A group session might be fun, but your kids can also do Zumba workout routines just by themselves at home and still have fun, just like my son does, with a parent to guide them and watch them through the whole process.

Conclusion

My son loves Zumba workouts as they are so much fun 🤩 and provide him an opportunity to dance 🕺🏾 his heart out. I do hope your kids love it, too.

I would say that Zumba has the perfect combination of exercise and dance, which makes it enjoyable for kids and also allows kids to stay healthy – physically and mentally.

I hope you found this guide on Zumba useful and that you managed to discover more about this fun and energetic workout for your kids.

Please let me know in the comments if you have anything more Zumba-related to share or any questions for me to answer – I would love to hear your feedback! 😊