9 Ways Get Kids Moving Right Now
The same old routine of neighborhood walks, runs, and bike rides at this strange time gets boring fast, especially for active kids who are used to playing sports. If you’re struggling to find ways to get them truly tuckered out right now, we’ve put together a list of 9 ways to get kids moving right now.
1. BOKS Daily Workouts
Boston-based BOKS Kids Play of the Day and FB Live Workouts every weekday at noon are family-friendly fun designed to reach for a wide age range.
2. Down Dog Yoga
So many kids are single sport focused these days; now is the perfect time to mix it up. Young athletes can use this opportunity to develop underused muscles through flexibility training and lots of lateral motion. To that end, I’ve had my tween and teen joining me to practice with Down Dog Yoga App, which is free until May (along with all of their other yoga and fitness apps).
3. Sports Drills
Kids can also practice sport specific drills with various virtual training apps like HomeCourt (free through April 30), TechneFutbol, or TopYa! Soccer.
4. Boks Obstacle Courses
Level up your obstacle courses for younger kids, or challenge older kids to help create a truly hardcore route.
5. Running Games
Make running more fun for younger kids with games:
Puzzle Run: Put pieces of a floor puzzle in envelopes and scatter them throughout your yard, street, or neighborhood. Kids run to find each envelope, then run the envelopes back home to base. After, they can open up the envelopes and solve the puzzle.
Quiz Run: Take one of your child’s favorite topics and write multiple choice trivia questions on index cards scattered throughout your yard, street, or neighborhood. Kids run to find them, then answer. If they’re wrong, they do a set of squats, pushups, or burpees before running to the next one question.
Water Balloon Relays: We’re inching closer to water balloon weather. This activity speaks for itself.
Driveway Sprints Card Game: At the end of each sprint, kids pick a card. After they finish the number of sprints agreed upon, they can do a bonus round of stretches or body weight exercises and get the chance to pull from a deck with mostly high face value cards and trade with one card in their hand. The person with the highest point total in their hand ‘wins’.
6. Geocaching
Make extra long walks more interesting with Geocaching.
7. OpenPhysEd
OpenPhysEd has dozens of plans, ideas, and challenges for elementary, middle, and high school aged kids at home. Plus they are adding new daily fitness plans each week, differentiated for age and developmental stage. These plans offer up a combo of interesting workouts, helpful mindset and mindfulness activities, and more.
8. Deck of Cards Workout
Try creative ideas like this Deck of Cards Workout to infuse strength training with novelty and excitement.
9. New England Revolution’s Home with the Pros
Test those soccer skills and stay active with help from professional athletes by tuning in to Home with the Pros. The New England Revolutions offers up a video series with drills for all ages to practice balance, strength and footwork with household items like books, socks and shoes.
And one last note: If sports were a big part of your child’s life, you’ll also want to support your athlete’s emotional experience, especially if they are really grieving the loss right now. Check out these tips from a psychologist.
9 creative ways to get kids moving right now