By Sandy “Spin” Slade
Get kids to exercise and turn fitness into a fun family affair! National Physical Fitness and Sports month is the perfect inspiration to celebrate fitness and get your family moving. You can peak your child’s interest by involving the entire family and by showing them that exercise is playtime.
When you become an active parent and participant you and your children reap a variety of benefits. You increase your life expectancy, reduce stress and anxiety, boost overall mood, improve sleeping patterns, and reconnect with your children as you laugh and play your way to optimum health. You might find it easy to go for a robust walk or hike, but how can you exercise with your family when the weather is not cooperating?
How to Get Kids to Exercise When The Weather is NOT Cooperating.
- Every family member stands in different doorway of a room in the home (i.e. bedroom doorway, living room doorway, etc…). On the signal, everyone does 15 quick jumps* in the doorway they are located in. When completed, move on to the next doorway. The goal is to do quick jumps in every doorway of the home. *Put your feet together and jump sideways, back and forth, keeping your feet together while jumping. One jump equals one repetition. (if jumping is difficult for you, step over an imaginary line sideways, back and forth).
- Everyone take turns playing their favorite song or songs where everyone in the family has to dance to.
- Play a family board game that includes moving and laughing. Fitivities is a laughter filled, award-winning physical activity game that gets 2-24 people moving at one time. It is perfect to get everyone moving inside or out!
- Everyone line up and walk the perimeter of each room in the house. The leader of the line can add a unique activity while walking (i.e. stop and do 10 jumping jacks, start to skip, jump to the sky, etc…). After you go completely around the house, a new family member becomes the leader.
- Have a contest to see who can balance on one leg the longest. Who is the best on the right leg and who is best on the left leg?
Sandy “Spin” Slade is the creator of Fitivities™ and the founder of Skillastics®, a series of oversize board games that help develop children’s fitness and sport skills. Her playful approach to fitness can be found in over 20,000 educational programs and enjoyed by over 10 million students nationwide. Previously to that, Sandy was a professional basketball entertainer, “spinning and dribbling” basketballs for over 22 years for thousands at schools, NBA half-times, and various events throughout the world. She wants to change the way society as a whole looks at physical activity. Fitivities™ is a fun, simple and affordable solution. Visit Fitivities.com for more information and follow Fitivities on Twitter.