Teaching your children about the benefits of healthy eating habits and regular physical activity during childhood is great, but sometimes what kids really want is to join in and do what the grown ups are doing. Learning by example is a critical part of developing healthy habits, particularly during early childhood. WOD Toys allow young children to do just that. The company motto is “Give them tools to imitate your best moments.”
We got our WOD Toys in the mail a week before Christmas. I spent about an hour laughing hysterically as my two children, ages 4 and 1, tried them out. Up to that point, my 4-year-old daughter had been desperately trying to recreate her own kettlebell with Christmas ornaments and rocks tied to string.
She could never get it quite right, so she was thrilled to have a real kettlebell of her own. I sat down on the couch to watch the ‘workouts’ and was amazed at how much she already knew just by watching my husband and I work out at home. It made me realize that, as much as I may think of fitness as an ‘adult’ thing, kids really do want to be involved as well. The fun hasn’t stopped since, and these have quickly become some of my girls’ favorite toys.
Beyond the obvious fun factor, there are few other things I love about the WOD Toys:
- High Quality: My husband and I were especially impressed with the quality of the barbell. All of the WOD Toys are made out of high-quality plastic and rubber, so you don’t have to worry about your kids breaking them or damaging them.
- Realistic: Kids aren’t easily fooled when it comes to toys. I’ve noticed especially during the preschool age that many ‘realistic’ toys collect dust while children make their own creations. Not so with these toys. Both of my daughters are convinced that these are real, gym-quality products, and I think that’s one reason they haven’t lost any enthusiasm since we received them in the mail. The barbell even has removable plates so you can adjust the weight, just like the real thing.
- Age-appropriate: I feel completely at ease when my daughters do their ‘workouts’ – which can be quite intense! – with these toys. The Kettle Kid is only .5 pounds and the Barbell Mini is just a little over 2 pounds. The handles are perfect for little hands and the design is bright and attractive. My daughter’s only complaint was that she needed a heavier kettlebell – her solution to this problem is pictured above.
WOD Toys also makes a few other products, including the MedBall Mini, Plyo Box Mini, and Baby WOD plush toys. I definitely foresee these as future birthday or Christmas gifts for our own children. Not only are these toys a lot of fun, but you can actually teach your kids the basic movements since they are lightweight and safe for children’s use.
All of the CrossFit gyms I’ve been to have been kid-friendly, and these toys would be the perfect addition for a family-friendly CrossFit box or gym of any kind. For home use, they provide a way for parents and children to interact during workouts.
I have been able to get much more out of my workouts now that my girls can actually join in and not just be underfoot, as sometimes can happen when you try to train with little people running around. For active families and kid-friendly gyms, WOD Toys are a perfect tool to educate kids about a healthy lifestyle in a hands-on way.
The Kettle Kid and Barbell Mini are available fom WOD Toys.
