5 Fun Ways to Get Your Child Up and Moving While Staying Indoors!
We all know the importance of physical activity, and it has been a challenge to get enough during our stay-at-home requirements. Children especially need outlets for their energy and creativity to stay healthy. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics created a table of recommended physical activity times for children based on age, from 30 minutes per day of tummy time for infants, to 3+ hours of activity per day for preschoolers, to 60 mins of daily activity plus muscle strengthening exercises 3x a week for elementary school children! Movement is essential for our mental health as well.
And now, the sun is shining more often, and the gorgeous spring air is wafting into your home through your newly-opened windows. You want to go outside with your children and get some exercise, but the timing isn’t always right during the day. To help you stay active indoors until you can throw on your skips and go outside to play with your kids, we’ve compiled a list of 5 fun things to do inside:
1 – Balloons!
Play balloon volleyball, balloon soccer, balloon tennis, balloon hockey or balloon juggling. Make sure to clear an area so children can move around to catch the balloon or bat it back.
2 – Be a Bear!
Have children write down all the animals they can think of on slips of paper, fold and place them in a bowl or jar. Let someone pick out one slip and read it aloud. Whatever animal is called, you and your children have to move around, imitating the movements of that animal. Don’t forget to growl!
3 – Dance Party!
Turn on your favorite dance music any time of day, even for 2 minutes during commercials if you and your children are watching tv, get up and move. Check out our own Coach Luisa’s Dance Party on our YouTube channel, SK@Home:
Also, Kidz Bop offers daily dance breaks or their “34 minutes of Dance Along Videos” also on YouTube:
4 – Try out some free online exercise classes.
There are so many free classes now available online for almost every sport and physical activity you can think of – martial arts, boxing, yoga, baseball, soccer, the list goes on and on. Many organizations have also created online workout classes specifically designed for children. Super Kickers has free soccer and yoga classes on our YouTube channel, SK@Home. Here’s Coach Stefano showing us some easy at-home exercises and soccer skill training:
Similarly, fitnessblender.com has a 25 minute workout for you and your kids to do at home:
5 – Make up a “Clean-Up-This-Room” game!
Choose a space that needs tidying, set a timer, and see who can speed clean the area the fastest and the best! Most children love a little competition, especially when they battle their Mom or Dad.
Send us a message or comment below to let us know if you tried any of our suggestions! Maybe even share a photo! If you have your own ways to stay active indoors, why not share them with us? We would love to know what you are doing. Also, you can subscribe to our weekly newsletter in the banner below to find out what’s been going on in our virtual classes as well as see what other ideas, fun facts and resources we have compiled for you.