Pilates for kids and teenagers: what classes involve, what trials show, and how to start

One part of an active week

Children and young people aged 5 to 18 need an average of at least 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous activity across the week, and a mix that builds movement skills, muscles and bones.

Sources 1, 2

The trials are small and early

Reviews of Pilates in children found early signs of better flexibility, strength and balance, mostly from small studies.

Sources 3, 4

Best evidence: teenagers' posture and trunk strength

Short Pilates sessions twice a week in school PE kept teenagers' upper-back curve from increasing and improved trunk endurance, in trials mostly from one research group.

Sources 4, 5, 6

No set minimum age

Trials included children from 5 years old. Teachers make classes a game for 5 to 10 year olds, and teenagers can follow a normal beginners' class.

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Safe with supervision

Supervised strength training doesn't harm growth. A Pilates teachers' body advises short classes, simple cues, supervising every position, and caution with upside-down moves and equipment.

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Know the warning signs

A limp, or sudden hip, thigh or knee pain, needs an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 the same day, and fainting while exercising needs 999.

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Short, playful and shown, not told

A Pilates teachers' body in Australia advises keeping classes to about 45 minutes "to accommodate the attention span of the child/adolescent", giving no more than 3 or 4 simple cues per exercise, using imagery children recognise, demonstrating moves because "children learn by imitation", and teaching fewer exercises with variations. It suggests linking moves to the animal kingdom, using small props, and supervising every position.

Source 9

Games for younger children, real Pilates for teenagers

A STOTT PILATES teacher who teaches children in schools suggests turning Pilates into a game for 5 to 10 year olds, such as "Pilates Says" instead of Simon Says, while 12 to 18 year olds can do "real Pilates" because they can concentrate and keep focus. With big groups she adds running on the spot, jumping jacks or pretend skipping, often moves children between standing and sitting, and saves breathing for the end, to calm down. Her advice: kids don't use perfect form, so "Don't be too rigid with them."

Source 8

A curriculum for schools

A 2014 manual sets out guidelines and a school curriculum for children aged 6 to 11 and teenagers aged 12 to 19, covering safety, exercises to avoid and moves suited to each age. We read the publisher's description, not the book.

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In school PE

In the school trials, Pilates was a short block of 10 to 15 minutes, twice a week, inside PE lessons.

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Early, small studiesMixed evidence

A 2020 review of 11 studies in children and young people up to 22 found Pilates appeared to improve flexibility, strength and balance, and to reduce pain in children with muscle and joint problems. But 4 of the studies were low quality, the programmes varied widely, and the authors call the research preliminary.

Source 3

Teenagers' postureEmerging evidence

A 2024 review found moderate-certainty evidence that Pilates improves upper-back and lower-back posture in children and teenagers compared with doing nothing. In 236 teenagers, 15 minutes of Pilates twice a week in PE for 9 months kept the upper-back curve from increasing, while their classmates' curves increased. In 103 teenagers with a rounded upper back, the same dose for 38 weeks reduced the curve by about 5.6 degrees more than in the comparison group. Both trials come from one research group.

Sources 4, 5, 14

Trunk strength and flexibilityEmerging evidence

In 441 teenagers, 10 minutes of Pilates twice a week in PE for 12 weeks improved the endurance of the tummy and back muscles and hamstring flexibility, and most of the gains lasted 12 weeks after it stopped; the study doesn't say whether the groups were allocated at random. In 52 teenagers who had had back pain, 6 weeks of Pilates improved back muscle endurance.

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When Pilates didn't helpMixed evidence

In 8 to 12 year olds, 4 months of mat Pilates twice a week didn't improve flexibility, balance or foot arches more than no programme. In 45 teenage girls with rounded shoulders, 6 weeks of Pilates didn't change head, shoulder or upper-back angles, while corrective exercise and the Alexander technique did.

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Younger childrenMixed evidence

In 62 kindergarten children, Pilates with balls improved balance on one leg. In 193 primary school children, mat Pilates 3 times a week for 12 weeks improved motor skills more than usual PE, and in 66 five and six year olds it improved fitness tests, but neither study reports allocating children at random.

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Girls aged 10 to 13Mixed evidence

In 80 girls, ten weekly hour-long sessions of Pilates or one of two other body-awareness methods all improved hamstring flexibility, and complaints of back pain fell from 66% to 38%, with no group that did nothing to compare against.

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Young athletes and concentrationMixed evidence

In 30 young volleyball players, 8 weeks of Pilates reduced landing errors. In 40 teenagers, one 30-minute Pilates or jumping session was followed by better attention and maths scores, in a small study without random allocation.

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Children with health conditionsMixed evidence

Small single trials found Pilates improved quality of life in children with juvenile arthritis, physical performance (but not blood sugar control) in teenagers with type 1 diabetes, and balance and coordination in children with Down syndrome. In children with cerebral palsy it didn't change walking, and three children with very bendy joints had less fatigue or better strength. Ask the child's care team first.

Sources 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

How much activity children needStrong evidence

The UK Chief Medical Officers say children and young people aged 5 to 18 "should engage in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week", with "a variety of types and intensities of physical activity across the week to develop movement skills, muscular fitness and bone strength". The World Health Organization adds vigorous activity, and activities that strengthen muscles and bones, on at least 3 days a week. For disabled children and young people, the NHS suggests 20 minutes a day, with strength and balance activities 3 times a week.

Sources 1, 2, 30

Where Pilates fits

Pilates builds muscle strength and body control. The Chief Medical Officers say "Bone strengthening involves moderate and high impact activities", so our reading is that Pilates, with little impact, doesn't count towards bone strengthening on its own, and much of it isn't vigorous. In one small study of 11-year-old girls doing daily classes, the average heart rate measured in the 4 who wore monitors was 104 beats a minute, and the girls rated their enjoyment 4.4 out of 5. Pair Pilates with running, jumping and play.

Sources 1, 31

Our starting point

A 20-minute class once or twice a week as part of an active week (our editorial starting point), or a group class of up to about 45 minutes, as the teachers' body suggests.

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No minimum age

We found no guideline or trial that sets a minimum age, and trials included children from 5 years old. What changes with age is how it's taught: games for younger children, and standard classes for teenagers.

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The reformer

Reformers and other Pilates equipment are built for adults. The teachers' body says the key to safe equipment work is "the size of the child, the appropriateness of load and instability" and whether the equipment fits them, and suggests no more than 4 children per teacher on equipment (8 on the mat). Many studios set their own minimum age: that's a studio policy, not a health rule.

Source 9

Choosing a class

The same body asks for a screening chat with a parent before a child starts, a referral where a child is under another health professional's care, and teachers qualified to work with children. Its rules on checks and qualifications are Australian, so ask what applies where you live (our suggestion).

Source 9

Few harms reportedMixed evidence

We found no study of injury rates in children doing Pilates. One trial that reported on harms, in 8 to 12 year olds, found no adverse or harmful events.

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Strength training is safe with supervisionStrong evidence

In 22 reports of supervised strength training in children, training didn't affect growth and injuries were rare, and a meta-analysis found children gain strength. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the US National Strength and Conditioning Association support it for children and teenagers. Our exercise for children guide covers this in detail.

Sources 10, 33, 34, 35

Upside-down moves and growth plates: a precautionMixed evidence

The teachers' body advises teaching upside-down moves, such as the jack knife and roll-over, and equipment "with caution", saying they "may be considered contraindicated, due to the potential load on bone growth plates". That's a precaution, not a finding: no study has measured growth plate loads in Pilates, and supervised strength training hasn't been shown to harm growth. They aren't needed in a child's class, so leave them out.

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Children with health conditions

The NHS says children and young people should get medical advice about exercising if they have a health condition, do exercise that suits their age, ability and experience, and start new exercise slowly. Our Down syndrome guide suggests leaving out roll-overs unless a doctor has checked the neck.

Source 2

Call 999 (911 in the US)

From our exercise for children guide, which also lists the signs of a bad asthma attack or a serious head injury:

• Your child faints while exercising, or after fainting isn't breathing, can't be woken within a minute, hasn't fully recovered, has chest pain or a pounding or irregular heartbeat, or has a fit.

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An urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 the same day

• Sudden pain in the hip, thigh or knee, a limp, or not putting any weight on 1 leg: an urgent GP appointment or NHS 111 the same day. Hip problems can sometimes be felt in the thigh or knee.

Source 11

See a GP

• Any faint, even if your child seems fine afterwards.
• Back pain in a child aged 4 or under, or back pain with fever or weight loss, weakness or numbness, trouble walking, pain shooting down a leg, bowel or bladder problems, or pain that stops them sleeping. Always see a doctor if a young child's back pain lasts more than several days or keeps getting worse.

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During Pilates

Stop any move that hurts: a child shouldn't push through pain to keep up. No rolling onto the neck and no upside-down moves (our suggestion, with the teachers' body's caution).

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Health conditions

The NHS says to get medical advice about exercising if your child has a health condition. Tell the teacher about any condition, injury or medicine.

Source 2

"Children shouldn't do strength or core work: it stunts growth"Strong evidence

Supervised strength training didn't affect children's growth, injuries were rare, and it makes children stronger. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports it, and our exercise for children guide says the same.

Sources 10, 33, 34

"Pilates is all the exercise a child needs"Strong evidence

Children need an average of at least 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous activity, and a mix that builds bones through impact. Pilates is one part of that: add running, jumping and play.

Sources 1, 30

"Pilates fixes children's posture"Mixed evidence

In teenagers, a few trials from one research group found short PE programmes kept the upper-back curve from increasing, but in another study 6 weeks of Pilates didn't change teenage girls' head, shoulder or upper-back angles. Small differences in posture are common and usually not a health problem; our posture guide explains what's normal.

Sources 4, 5, 18

"There's a minimum age for Pilates"Mixed evidence

No guideline or trial sets one, and trials included children from 5. What changes with age is the teaching, games for younger children and standard classes for teenagers, and, on equipment, whether it fits the child.

Sources 7, 19, 8, 9

"Pilates boosts children's concentration and grades"Mixed evidence

One small study without random allocation found better attention and maths scores after a single session. Nothing longer-term has been tested.

Source 23

"Children must do Pilates with perfect form"

Teachers who work with children say the opposite: kids don't use perfect form and like to fall, so don't be too rigid. Simple cues and showing the move work best.

Sources 8, 9