I need ideas to get children physically active.

[Renee in NC]

In our old house, we had no problems with the dc getting enough physical activity. We had 11 acres, a pond, plenty of room to roam, safe areas for bicycling, etc. There was even a park close by!

 

Where we live now is the exact opposite. We have a yard. The neighborhood is not safe enough for them to ride bikes and there isn't enough room in the yard to do so. There is no pond, I can't let them explore the woods, etc. No neighborhood friends. No park nearby (yet - they plan to add one in the next few years.) There is a nearby lake, though.

 

They simply aren't getting enough exercise. I have noticed weight gain in one and behavior issues in 2 others that I think are directly related. I imagine our circumstances aren't much different than many others, so I thought I would ask here.

 

What do your dc do to get regular (daily) strenuous physical activity?

 

And the bright side? Most eat MUCH less than they used to!:lol:

[Karen in CO]

Forced marches.

Bundle them all up and take them for a walk once or twice a day.

Get a little mini trampoline for the basement or yard and have them jump.

I put mine on a treadmill daily when the weather is bad - young to old everyone does a minimum of 20 minutes a day.

Scooters, skateboards, bikes, unicyles, rollerskates, basketball, a frisby.

Make a an effort to get them all outside even if you have to go with them through the neighborhood.

YMCA - we swim for an hour or more once or twice a week.

[melissel]

:lurk5: We're struggling here too.

[snickelfritz]

That's one reason we do gymnastics and dance. I found places that had classes for both at similar times and a gym for me to use. We'll probably add non-competitive soccer for the older one next year, if my schedule can take it. I've had the best results with swimming. They were worn out from 30 minutes of that. Do you have a YMCA? A family membership at a place like that might be the most economical choice.

 

I also combine park trips in with our other stuff, when possible. When we have choir at 2, we pack a lunch and head to the park and hang out there for an hour. Maybe you could go after your schoolwork is done and before you need to start dinner?

 

Can you go out with them in the neighborhood? Even if it's so cold(or hot) we can only go out for 15 minutes, I think it helps them (and me.)

[Renee in NC]

Added clarification - no pavement at all. Nowhere to walk without driving somewhere first - the road we live on is a one lane gravel road that leads to a 2 lane paved road where the speed limit is 55 (no sidewalks.)

 

The neighborhood is a trailer park that isn't all that great (some drug dealing I am pretty sure.) The other concern is loose dogs everywhere.

 

We could go to the park probably once a week or so - it really depends on gas prices and what we end up with.

 

Maybe I should ask for some things that promote physical activity - group games, etc.

 

Can a mini-tramp be left outside? There isn't room inside, but we could keep it in the yard.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Renee in FL

[hornblower]

those little indoor rebounder trampolines - often avail 2nd hand

skipping rope

my kids play badminton in our yard a lot

[Karen in CO]

Okay - then it is video tae bo. or yogo kids or both. if the living room is small, then go in groups. my littles like yoga kids. tae bo or something like that is fun for everyone. the library has videos, you can sample until you find ones you like or just keep returning and getting news ones for variety. BUT outside time is important.

if the yard is small, then just go out with them and dig in the dirt and improve the yard. make small square foot gardens for spring. if it is cold now, maybe looking into what you can grow in cold-frames - at least some yummy lettuces.

[snickelfritz]

Maybe set a goal of going around 10 times? Time them?

 

Do it as a relay race and come up with different things they have to do. Hop. Wheelbarrow. Skip. Carry a younger on the back. Taking giant steps. Race walking. Crab walk. Cartwheels. Bear Walk.

 

An outside balloon volleyball game.

[Tina]

Exercise videos as a family? Check the library for some options. I'm hooked on the Walk Away the Pounds ones, and dh will walk the one mile (in place) with me. No big routine to learn. There are some exercise videos on Sparkpeople, tho they aren't geared for kids. My 16yo used one of those this week.

 

Running in place. Jumping jacks. Make your own obstacle course. Go to McDonald's to use their playland once in a while. Visit friends who have a yard.

Set up a low balance beam in the living room sometimes; walk across it, balance sitting with legs and arms in the air, etc. Ping pong over the kitchen table. Blow a cotton ball or light ball across the table before the other guy. Move like various animals--the crabwalk, gallop, leap(frog), etc. You might want to look at books by Arnold Schwarzeneger for different age groups; he has some exercises and games for two or three in there.

 

Just brainstorming here. Hope something helps!

[Rosie_0801]

Um. How about boffer combat? As long as everyone is taught the appropriate safety rules, that'll get them moving. My 20 month old is just starting to swing a boffer sword with daddy. Just last weekend she pushed a greatsword about three times her height across the ground to "attack" someone!

Of course, we are SCAers so this is just the sort of thing we (and our mad mates) do...

:)

Rosie

[LisaKinVA]

Tae Bo Kicks (kids exercise video), or other aerobics videos

Wii Fit (jogging in place, step, yoga)

Hyper Dash (easy to use indoors)

Old fashioned exercises (jumping jacks, jump rope, push ups, crunches, pull ups, etc.)

Burpees (that's what we called them, basicall stand, squat, kick legs out behind you, push-up, legs back to seated-squat, back to standing, repeat).

Line drills (you can put masking tape or painters tape on the floor), make several lines over a short distance, the children run from the first line to the 2nd line, bend down and touch the line with their hands, run back to the first line and touch it with their hands, then run past the 2nd line to the 3rd line and touch it with their hand, then back to the first line... and so forth. This is timed, goal is to beat their time.

Powerslide (like speed skating)

[Jennifer3141]

What about finding their passion through classes? Martial arts? Ballet?

 

Jen

[Mommyof4ks]

Wii Fit or even Wii Sports is good exercise.

 

We live in a neighborhood with lots of dogs and other critters too, so we do alot of indoor stuff. The kids are also each in some type of physical activity gymnastics, soccer, or something like that most of the year.

 

We have dance parties at our house many evenings during the winter when it is cold. We put on some Christian rock or oldies and everyone must dance anyway they like for at least 30 minutes (the oldest is 8 so there are no limits on how to dance yet lol). Sometimes this turns into an hour long thing or leads to games like twister or Cranium Hullabaloo or some other physical type game.

 

Good luck, this is a struggle for many of us these days.

[Quiver0f10]

We are in the same boat. We always lived rural and had land for the kids to roam in and now we are in a subdivision in a city :eek: . The kids do bike in the driveway, run around the small yard and we purchased a trampoline. It fills a lot of the back yard play area, but atleast they can be out there safe and use up energy.

[Mandamom]

Can a mini-tramp be left outside? There isn't room inside, but we could keep it in the yard.

 

 

Ours didn't last very long after it got moved outside. We had it inside for a long time and then it got moved outside and eventually rusted and fell apart.

 

I picked ours up at the thrift shop for about $10 or so and it was well worth it. Given that I now have a very active almost 3 year old I'm looking out for another at the thrift shop. I'm just not sure I'll get that lucky.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I bought 4 of them (they are really inexpensive), for my kids. I noticed that their karate instructors use them for relay races, so I got some for home. The boys make up obstacle courses and relays with them.

 

The other day they set up the cones about 15 feet apart and put 3 tennis balls (also cheap) at one end and raced to see who could get all the balls to the other side the fastest, taking them one at a time. They also take boxes and broom handles and make up obstacle courses and they have a stopwatch that they time each other with.

 

It's really quite fun.

 

hth

K

[Chris in VA]

 

This one used to be free, but it's still pretty cheap.

[Perry]

 

DDR.

[Guest janainaz]

Basketball hoop in your driveway?? Bike rides (with you). Do you have any tennis courts nearby or parks?

 

I won't let my boys go out alone without me in our neighborhood. We take bike rides - we live in a golf-course community and have some decent bike trails, too. I have wanted to find some tennis courts, so we can go hit the ball around. I have zero sporting skills whatsoever, but I would not mind playing around for fun. I was looking to get a basketball hoop for our driveway/garage, so we could go out and play horse and stuff like that. I also wanted to get a ping-ping table. It's not tons of exercise, but at least it's not sitting in front of the TV and you have to play together.

 

I wish so much I could let my boys roam free like that (where you used to live). Do any of them skateboard? We have tons of those skateboarding places around here, but my boys aren't into that right now.

 

I have the same dilemma. My ds 8 whines and complains when we take our dog for a walk. I need duct tape. My dh said he's my clone. I'm a homebody. Totally content tinkering around the house. But, we need to be outside getting some exercise. It's good for your mental health, as well.

[dragons in the flower bed]

What do your dc do to get regular (daily) strenuous physical activity?

 

We also have a problem with drug dealers, though they're not noticeable during daylight hours and there are plenty of big mommas out there too. Our scary neighbor dogs just moved away (HUZZAH!) but we were in that situation for a while, too.

 

We play Dance Dance Revolution on our wii. It was a bit of an investment, and I have to swallow my anti-video-game feelings daily, but it gets our heartbeats up and our bodies moving (much more so than other wii games).

 

You have a small yard? Can you make a climbing pole? We have a five by ten foot yard mostly taken up with the upstairs tenant's fire escape. One of my kids would shimmy up and down that thing all summer long if I let him.

[Renee in NC]

Thanks for the ideas!

 

I would love to do some classes, but that isn't in the cards. Maybe in the future.

 

Dh and I have talked some about it and we hope to make the yard a more inviting place for them to play. It used to be that they never wanted to come in, but now that we have moved, they never want to go out! It would help if I could get their playset moved, but I don't know if that is going to happen.

 

Thanks again!

[Desert Rat]

Our trampoline really helps. Wii sports does as well. It gets them off the couch and moving around, especially the tennis and boxing.

[rafiki]

.

[Tap]

A Wii would probably be the best fit for you. You can do it indoors, there is a lot of variety of games on Wii fit and sports, appeals to many ages and it is small to store.

[cathmom]

There you go - let your mom buy the dc a Wii!

[Renee in NC]

There you go - let your mom buy the dc a Wii!

 

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

I think I am starting to spin in circles!