Last updated on March 27th, 2024 at 12:14 pm
Whether you are self-isolating from the pandemic or it is just a rainy day, keeping your kids active when you have to stay home can be tricky. But it isnât impossible! Even though your family is spending more time inside, physical exercise is very important, for both your physical and mental health. Here are some fun and easy ways to keep your kids active.
Kids Need Exercise Every Day
Exercise is so important for kids to release some energy and get some time away from video games and television. Make time for exercise every day! For younger kids you can just jump around, dance, and do some kind of sustained exercise to get the blood flowing and heart rate up. Older kids can go for a bike ride or take a walk with you through the neighborhood. Lifting light hand weights and yoga are fun to do together, and if you have a treadmill or stationary bike at home â bonus!
Try Kid-Friendly Workouts
You will find a lot of kid-friendly workouts to do, even those that donât require any equipment. YouTube is a great place to start, as you will find a variety of dance, aerobic, cardio, and body weight workouts to choose from. The ones for kids or families are meant for in-home use and might use no weights at all, or really light weights. Remember when you used to use cans for hand weights? Those work great with the kids!
Recess at Home
Just because your kids arenât at school out of the home, doesnât mean they canât still do recess! Chances are, a lot of the activity they got during the day was during recess. Try to schedule at least two a day, for 20-30 minutes each. Use this time to shut off all electronics and have your kids play more active games. If you have a backyard, they can head out back to throw balls or go for a walk. For indoor recess, play jump rope, do a family-friendly workout, or jump rope.
Do Some Work Around the House
Kids donât want to hear it, but doing chores is a great way to burn calories and get moving without ever leaving the house! Giving your kids â no matter what age â at least one daily chore gives them a sense of responsibility and feeling of contributing to the familyâs home life.
My son knows he has to empty the dishwasher each and every day, and vacuum on the weekends. He also has to take care of his laundry. Dusting, wiping down glass doors, folding clothes and even sweeping the floor are easy chores even little kids can do.
Tech-Free Activities Indoors
If you are worried that your kids are spending a little too much time sitting around during the day, then try activities that require no tech at all. This might mean some activities that arenât super physical, but still require more movement than just watching TV, such as working on a puzzle, coloring, or playing with any toys or games they have.
Play a Game of Freeze
Freeze is a fun and active game that lets your kids get a little more exercise even while stuck inside. To play freeze, you will have all the kids stand up, and then turn on some music. Everyone is instructed to dance while the music is playing. At random intervals, press pause on the song, and when the music stops, the kids all have to freeze wherever they are. They hold that dance pose for as long as you like, until you press play again and they get back to dancing.
Spend Time Together in the Kitchen
If youâre doing more cooking and baking at home, get your kids involved! You can teach them the joy of cooking, teach them some essential skills, and let them put together some of their own healthy recipes as well. In addition to cooking up yummy food, this is a great opportunity to bond with your kid.
Online Shopping & Vacation Planning
Spend time online choosing outfits or planning that dream vacation! Resources:
Beauty & Fashion:
Banana Republic Factory and Gap Factory
Travel Research:
airportparkingreservations.com
Caesars (Caesars, Flamingo, Ballys, Linq, Paris)
seaworld.com/san-diego/tickets/special-offers/
Business/Home:
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