While Spring is right around the corner
(I can hope, can’t I), many of our elementary school children are bouncing off the walls and need more indoor physical activities IMMEDIATELY!
So in the interest of giving you some sanity and your children some indoor fitness activities at school or at home, I want to share a few indoor activities we’ve had fun with lately. Enjoy!
Virtual State Tour
Call out imaginary activities for your children to do across the state, 5-10 seconds each. If you live in Wisconsin, for example, say: SWIM across Lake Michigan (and they’ll pretend to swim) ; RUN (in place) across Lambeau Field, ICE SKATE across the Wisconsin River, PICK cranberries, etc. Kids love it, it takes no space, and gets them moving!
Spikeball
Okay, this is something that costs money (~$50), which I don’t usually promote here, but it’s a great sports game and your children will have a ball. Spikeball (www.spikeball.com) is a cross between four square and volleyball and can be played indoors or out. It started as a college craze but we’re using it at our Right At School indoor recess programs and will soon be rolling it out in our afterschool clubs as well. And, if you care, my Operations Director and I played earlier today with our office set and worked up quite a sweat. (We’re not discussing who won—fun was had by all).
Pass It On
You need at least three children for this, and the more the merrier. Children stand in a circle. The first child makes a fitness move (e.g., a lunge, a push up, a yoga pose) then points with both hands to another child who repeats the move, adds a move of his or her own and points to a third person who repeats the two moves and adds one before passing it on. Expect a lot of laughter and a good deal of sweat.
Speed Stacks
I know, I’m recommending another product that isn’t free. But this is a low-cost high energy game—and one they can play by themselves or with others. Your child won’t sweat as much from this game as some of the others, but they’ll be active and engaged. They may already know this from gym class or Right At School (or the home versions, which you can get at www.speedstacks.com). It’s really an unexpected blast to play. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll say: “why didn’t I invent this?????”
The Human Knot
This is fun, but you’ll need three or more children. Kids stand in a circle and grab the right hand of someone across from them. Then they take their left hand and do the same but with a different person who is neither holding their right hand or standing right next to them. When the leader (you?) says “go,” they have to keep holding hands but untangle the knot that they got in to.
Don’t Let The Kid Fall Down
My daughter Hannah (age 9) is sitting right next to me at home as I finish this blog post and she wants me to add this game, which I can’t vouch for personally. Here are her exact words: “So, you need like six to ten kids in a circle and another kid in the middle, preferably the lightest child. The child in the middle puts on a blindfold or closes her eyes and she falls backwards and the other kids push her sideways and all around. It needs good adult supervision so the kid doesn’t fall.” Okay, you heard it here first!
There you have it. Now let’s hope Spring comes really, really soon!!!!!