Keeping Kids Active at Home
Do your kids have energy to spend without their usual outlets like gym class and recess or organized sports? Keeping kids active in the same ways they are accustomed to while participating in school activities is difficult but also important. Whether you’re looking for fun ways to keep your younger kids active or trying to help older kids stay in shape for athletics, here are some ideas for staying active at home.
For Younger Kids
Simon Says Fitness – Simon says “do 5 jumping jacks!” Simon says “run in place!” Turn a game your kids already love into a fun way to be active. Get creative with your prompts and don’t forget to try and trick them with some “Simon didn’t say so!”
Treasure Hunts – This is a game you can play inside or outside to get the kids up and moving. Either hide items around the house or come up with a list of items you know they will be able to find. See who can find the most items or who can find them the quickest.
Bike Rides – With everyone getting stir-crazy, a bike ride is a great way for the family to get out of the house together. In addition to riding around the neighborhood, we are also lucky to have the reservoir and North Coast Inland Trail here in Norwalk as great places to go for a ride.
Obstacle Course – Set up some obstacles around the yard and take turns going through the course. Time yourselves to see who can complete the challenge the fastest and then rearrange the obstacles and try again!
For High School and Junior High School Kids
Yoga – There are lots of online resources for yoga and it’s a great exercise for core strength, balance, and flexibility. Find a video on YouTube you like and you’re ready to go!
Body Weight Exercises – There are many exercises that use your own body weight and require no equipment and you’re probably already familiar with them. Pushups, lunges, reverse lunges, squats, and planks can all easily be done at home.
Jump Rope – Jumping rope is great exercise and the only piece of equipment required—rope—is easy to find. Be sure to jump on a flat surface and remove any obstacle like rocks or sticks. Challenge yourself to see how many jumps you can get in a set amount of time and have fun with the exercise.
Line Jumps – Draw a line with chalk on the driveway or mark it with tape. Make sure wherever you are doing your drills is an even surface to prevent injury. Using the line as your guide, jump in-place or down-the-line jump alternating using both feet or one foot at a time moving forward and backward and side to side. Use the balls of your feet to jump and keep your body weight on the instep and big toe.
About Jake
Jake Rospert, ATC is an Athletic Trainer with Fisher-Titus. Fisher-Titus Athletic Training Services work within Huron County and surrounding area schools to provide athletic training services. For more information, visit fishertitus.org/athletic-training.
