Kelly1730 Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 My boys (twins, 12 in July) are not interested in any kind of organized sports. I know the pros and cons of them (all four older children participated up through high school level) but I'm not motivated to push them into it. Might be something to do with my advance age of almost 51 and spending a good portion of my four older children's school years running to different fields/ spending hours sitting at games cheering them on;) Nevertheless, I would like to make sure they are getting PE. They ride bikes, scooters, play basketball in the driveway, throw frizbee, swim in our pool, play group games at church and co-op ect. So, they are getting exercise and fresh air but I want something structured. A checklist or lesson plan of sorts that I can schedule into our days/weeks. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Weight lifting is good at that age. Yoga is also good, as boys tend to lose flexibility through puberty. I am a huge fan of FitDeck cards for workout ideas. http://fitdeck.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 What about a "Couch to 5K" training program? Outlines are all over the Internet, but basically over 8-10 wks you build up enough stamina to run a 5K at the end. You could do it with them, or bike along behind? Martial Arts? Swimming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 We really enjoyed The President's Challenge https://www.presidentschallenge.org The website has changed a bit since we used it a few years ago, but this is what we did -- in school, dc were tested on several benchmarks (situps, for example), asked to practice, and then re-tested. There are certain guidelines as to how dc compare against national norms and there are various award levels. The school awarded certificates, but I also bought the appropriate t shits. The program is available for homeschoolers too. Somewhere on the site, you can download spreadsheet with all data by age. -- there is also a program that lets you track your activity online -- there are points for walking, jogging, running for example. I think they were in 10-minute increments. When you get a certain number of points, you are entitled to get an award -- gold, silver, etc. There are t shirts you can as well as certificates. My dc did this on their own (with my help). It was a great motivator! I'll see if I can find links within the site for you. The Boy Scouts have a good Personal Fitness merit badge pamphlet. ETA The program has some new names for various programs, but the two main components -- fitness and healthy lifestyle are still there. The homeschool section is right up with the school programs. Nice to see hs featured! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I really think you are on to something important in having some sort of schedule for physical activity. It's much more motivating to have specific goals and/or check-lists in order to keep up a regular routine. Working up to a running race, like a 5km, is an idea if your boys enjoy running. The fitness challenge and merit badge ideas are also great. Even joining a website that allows you to log in your daily exercise are fun. I use www.runningroom.com as it's Canadian. There are lots of other versions. All the best. And a shameless plug as an active mom, if you join in with their physical activity, there's a huge benefit for you all. :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted June 12, 2013 Author Share Posted June 12, 2013 Thanks for the suggestions, very helpful:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I would look into CrossFit. My kids do CrossFit kids (we are also not an organized sport family) and they love it. I am amazed at how strong and fit they are becoming. Me too, for that matter, as our whole family has gotten involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I would look into CrossFit. My kids do CrossFit kids (we are also not an organized sport family) and they love it. I am amazed at how strong and fit they are becoming. Me too, for that matter, as our whole family has gotten involved. I found CrossFit on Wikipedia. Whew, those are some exercises. I did burpees in one fitness class I took, and they just about killed me, lol. But, seriously, there are a lot of good ideas there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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