At-home exercise for kids

[Earthmerlin]

I'm looking to boost our physical exercise at home. My 9 yr old does gymnastics 1x/week but I'm looking for energy outlets at home. She scooters and rides her bike (the weather's turning too cold for that now though) and we take the dog for a walk or run. She's become 'bored' with the back yard. What can we do either inside or out to become more active? Low maintenance or non-cluttery stuff I can buy to facilitate this, I just need ideas.

Edited December 8, 2018 by Earthmerlin

[Kassia]

Can you get a trampoline?  We have one for indoors and outdoors.  Does she do any gymnastics practice at home?  Maybe some mats for that?  Are there any active video games she would play or would she follow along with youtube exercise videos for kids?  

 

[wintermom]

I found that as my dc got to that age, they needed a bigger space and more organized activity. It's more fun being active with a group. I could create this with my own family, by snowshoeing, skating, skiing, sledding, hiking in the woods as a family, but I had to be the one to get the inertia rolling. We also have some near-by friends that the dc can be active with. Working together with another family is a great way for us to keep more active. 

I wouldn't expect to pass on a piece of equipment to my child and expect regular exercise routines to magically happen. Heck, it's way too hard for me to do this myself, and I am naturally driven to be active. 

[Jess4879]

My kids enjoy Just Dance for the Wii.  We also have a mini trampoline.  My oldest is also really in to yoga, so she'll follow along with a video or a book for that. 

[sassenach]

Another vote for trampoline. My kids spent hours upon hours bouncing on ours.

[Earthmerlin]

She has asked for a trampoline but since kids are prone to injury in them, I have said no. However, I will look into it again & perhaps get her a used one. She has a mini one in the basement. Perhaps pulling out her jump rope &/or hoola hoop would work. She does practice gym skills at home already. I like the snow shoe idea and we like to hike. Perhaps a local indoor pool will have open swim times. I'll ask my hubby how to connect You Tube to our regular TV so we can also do yoga. These are all great ideas.

I guess I was wondering if I had missed out on any active toys for this age group. I haven't really looked for such things lately. Other than sleds, what kinds of outdoor winter toys encourage movement? For example, she has a plasma car that gets lots of mileage. I could also pull out her stilts. O! Maybe an oversized balance ball (or whatever they're called)?

BTW, we are an active family (& just got back from a run) but sometimes kids just need an at-home energy releaser, ya know?

[Farrar]

We never regretted our mini-tramp. We had a Jumpsport and loved it. We only finally put it away this year (age 14). I don't think kids get many injuries on indoor mini-trampolines - especially not upper elementary/middle school aged kids. But if you have a quality one like the Jumpsport (look for any taller brand with bungee cords instead of springs) then it gives a lot of bounce. And don't dismiss the Wii and dance video games too quickly - they do require lots of movement.

[Jess4879]

20 hours ago, Earthmerlin said:

She has asked for a trampoline but since kids are prone to injury in them, I have said no. However, I will look into it again & perhaps get her a used one. She has a mini one in the basement. Perhaps pulling out her jump rope &/or hoola hoop would work. She does practice gym skills at home already. I like the snow shoe idea and we like to hike. Perhaps a local indoor pool will have open swim times. I'll ask my hubby how to connect You Tube to our regular TV so we can also do yoga. These are all great ideas.

I guess I was wondering if I had missed out on any active toys for this age group. I haven't really looked for such things lately. Other than sleds, what kinds of outdoor winter toys encourage movement? For example, she has a plasma car that gets lots of mileage. I could also pull out her stilts. O! Maybe an oversized balance ball (or whatever they're called)?

BTW, we are an active family (& just got back from a run) but sometimes kids just need an at-home energy releaser, ya know?

We don't have a large, outdoor tramp, for that exact reason.  Too many injuries. I like the mini tramp though.

Something else we've used and liked are Fit Decks.  We are also debating about getting the kids snow skateboards/scooters.  They seem like a lot of fun.  

[wintermom]

They aren't cheap, but could be great for the whole family to work on balance and lower-body strength. I prefer to turn it upside down and use it like a balance board. I practice my martial arts kicks on it for a really good balance and strength work-out. I do standing kicks, one- or two-leg knee bends/dips. It's really fun and challenging.

Edited December 9, 2018 by wintermom

[PeterPan]

You could build one. 

 

[Earthmerlin]

8 hours ago, Jess4879 said:

We don't have a large, outdoor tramp, for that exact reason.  Too many injuries. I like the mini tramp though.

Something else we've used and liked are Fit Decks.  We are also debating about getting the kids snow skateboards/scooters.  They seem like a lot of fun.  

Snow skateboards and scooters? Well, I'll be... I need to check these out!

[Earthmerlin]

24 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

You could build one. 

 

?? Not sure if that's for my human child... Perhaps our German Shepherd would dig it though.

[PeterPan]

It was a joke. There are days when a wheel like that seems like it would be perfect for my ds. Actually I've been wanting to get him a treadmill, and we do weights. Trampoline does nothing for calming here.

Edited December 10, 2018 by PeterPan

[Gil]

I'm very active and my kids are high energy. I don't send them out, I take them out.
Each day I spend a minimum of 70-90 minutes outdoors with The Boys and we're physically active together. 

Go for a run--start with the walk-run-walk cycle if the kids don't know how to run longer distances.
Jump rope 100x each morning. Once that's easy, go for time.
Use buckets/boxes/caution tape/cones etc to make a backyard obstacle course. Reconfigure daily
Do jumping jacks, push ups, situps, etc.
Hula Hoops are fun
Go to the department store and go to the gym section and get those workout balls and balance boards.
Get a DVD course or YouTube playlist for 
-Tai Chi
-Yoga or 
-Dance and do that for 15-30 minutes at a time.
Ball handling skills and drills.
--throwing a football, having kids run to catch a football.
Step ups, 
Zig-Zag Sprints, (also called suicides)
Squats
Balance games
pulling heavy things around the yard (don't judge!) 
Martial Arts/grappling/wrestling/
play fighting
flag/touch football
punching bag
flips and cart wheels
jumping from one plank of wood to another
using a mattress outside or in an open space to bounce and flip around.
running laps

I personally work out a lot and The Boys do a variety of indoor-workout type exercises with me. They also have bikes and roller skates.  Is there a place you're willing to let her roller-skate indoors? It makes a racket, but I have let The Boys roller skate in the living room when they couldn't go out to skate due to bad weather that lasted for a couple of weeks.

 

 

[Porridge]

My kids recently made their own fit deck. We run as a family (right now 1-1.5 miles at a time, but their stamina is improving) and do their Fit Deck. If we each choose 5 exercises and do something in between in exercise (like jumping jacks), it takes us 15 -20 min. It helps my younger one if there is some incentive or competition involved. 

[Earthmerlin]

16 hours ago, PeterPan said:

It was a joke. There are days when a wheel like that seems like it would be perfect for my ds. Actually I've been wanting to get him a treadmill, and we do weights. Trampoline does nothing for calming here.

Some times humor is lost with tte written word. But the dog 'hamster wheel' idea is good. We actually bought a used treadmill for our dog & he runs on it when we just cannot get outdoors that day (it's kinda funny, actually). 

[Earthmerlin]

13 hours ago, Gil said:

I'm very active and my kids are high energy. I don't send them out, I take them out.
Each day I spend a minimum of 70-90 minutes outdoors with The Boys and we're physically active together. 

Go for a run--start with the walk-run-walk cycle if the kids don't know how to run longer distances.
Jump rope 100x each morning. Once that's easy, go for time.
Use buckets/boxes/caution tape/cones etc to make a backyard obstacle course. Reconfigure daily
Do jumping jacks, push ups, situps, etc.
Hula Hoops are fun
Go to the department store and go to the gym section and get those workout balls and balance boards.
Get a DVD course or YouTube playlist for 
-Tai Chi
-Yoga or 
-Dance and do that for 15-30 minutes at a time.
Ball handling skills and drills.
--throwing a football, having kids run to catch a football.
Step ups, 
Zig-Zag Sprints, (also called suicides)
Squats
Balance games
pulling heavy things around the yard (don't judge!) 
Martial Arts/grappling/wrestling/
play fighting
flag/touch football
punching bag
flips and cart wheels
jumping from one plank of wood to another
using a mattress outside or in an open space to bounce and flip around.
running laps

I personally work out a lot and The Boys do a variety of indoor-workout type exercises with me. They also have bikes and roller skates.  Is there a place you're willing to let her roller-skate indoors? It makes a racket, but I have let The Boys roller skate in the living room when they couldn't go out to skate due to bad weather that lasted for a couple of weeks.

 

 

Some of your ideas are good ones we can incorporate. We go outdoors frequently & exercise, no worries. My question was about quick  indoor activities my daughter can do (mostly independently). It's just not realistic to be by her side all the time, rooting her on. With high interest gizmos she'll be more likely to try them out. It's funny you mentioned roller skates as she got some for her birthday & she skates in the basement. We've even done 'balloon volleyball' in the family room, which hs been fun.

[Kassia]

My dd used to love to just sit and bounce on my big stability ball.  I remember quizzing her on things while she just bounced and bounced (she was a high energy kid).