Engage kids in fun fitness activities! Get active with our engaging activities designed specifically for kids.
Getting youngsters away from their devices can be difficult in this day and age of cell phones, video games, and YouTube. At Elite, we urge parents to instil the healthy practice of keeping their children active early on, so that they develop the habit and grow to enjoy an active lifestyle. So, how do you get started? Kids prefer to have fun, therefore we recommend finding activities for kids that are so enjoyable that they don’t realize they’re exercising. We’ve compiled a selection of our best children’s workout games and activities that will keep them moving while also making them laugh throughout.
- Timed Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of strange stuff for your children to find around the house or yard, then set a timer and let them wild. The first youngster (or team) to return to you after finding every item on their list wins! The timed nature of the hunt will motivate the children to move more quickly. Depending on the items you send the kids out looking for, there may be climbing, crawling, or running involved; all of which are excellent activities for children to have fun, exercise their entire body, and burn energy.
- Red Light, Green Light
To play, one person is assigned to be the traffic officer. The traffic cop has his back to the other players as they all stand on the starting line. When he announces “green light,” players race to the finish line. When the traffic cop says “red light,” he turns around, forcing the players to stop in their tracks. If the traffic cop finds a player moving, he returns them to the starting line. The first person across the finish line wins and becomes the new traffic officer.
- Twister
We know what you’re thinking: it’s simply a board game from when we were kids! But here’s the thing: everyone in the family can participate, and you’ll probably end up exercising muscles you haven’t thought about in a while. There’s a significant emphasis on balancing, and chuckles are almost assured at the end of the game.
- Obstacle course
Create an obstacle course in your backyard using available items such as hoses, lawn furniture, toys, and tree houses. Create a course that requires your children to jump over sandboxes, race down a curved hose, climb over heavy objects, or crawl underneath chairs or other low items. Make it more challenging by making it into a competition and timing it. Rainy day? You can even create an interior obstacle course with furniture and toys!
- Jump rope
Hop, skip, and double-Dutch your children into fitness enjoyment. Jumping rope works a variety of muscles and is considerably more physically demanding than it appears. If you want to give your kids some creative fun while they jump, sing these entertaining jump rope rhymes with them.
- Animal Races
Children’s exercise activities that are both enjoyable and include the entire body are huge successes. Races that include more than simply running are a lot of fun, and even a little ridiculous. Bunny hop, frog leap, and duck, crab, or bear walk races will keep you and the kids entertained while training virtually every muscle in their bodies.
- Jumping jacks
Jumping jacks are an excellent way to exercise your arms and legs while also testing your coordination and stamina. They are appropriate for children of all ages because they are a relatively simple activity.
- Parachutes
Grab an old sheet and recreate the popular gym activity at home. Have everyone grasp one end, fan the sheet aloft, and dash underneath it before it falls back down. Make it more entertaining by performing it at night with flashlights underneath.
- Dance Party
Who doesn’t enjoy shaking their groove thang from time to time? Create a playlist of your favourite tunes and dance the night away. You’ll be astonished at how much endurance it takes to keep dancing. Make it a competition to see who can dance the longest!
- Balloon Ball
Designate a play area and bat the balloon around, making sure it never touches the floor or ground. If you’re limited on room, grab some fly swatters and play balloon tennis.
- Follow the leader
Let your children follow you around the home or yard. Make sure to vary the tempo and use energetic actions such as jumping, stomping, tip-toeing, squatting, crawling, etc. Everyone will have a great time, and you’ll probably get just as good of a workout as the kids!
- Bubbles
Blow bubbles for your kids and let them try to pop them all before they hit the ground. If you run out of air before your kids fall asleep, grab some bubble wrap and have them jump up and down on it until all of the bubbles pop.
- Parent Pushover
Place your feet firmly and see if your children can push you over. If you shift your feet, they will win. If you have young children, stand on one foot to make it easy for them.
- Hopscotch
When it comes to enjoyable games for kids, Hopscotch is a perennial favourite that transcends generations. This tried-and-true game helps children develop body control, strength, balance, and eye/hand coordination. The best part is that you only need chalk and a rock to play.
- Pillow fights
Step back in time and work up a sweat with your children with only a couple of pillows and a lot of laughter.
