With most Texas schools closed until the end of May, kids are bored and parents are running out of ideas to keep them entertained. Without much warning, parents quickly had to adapt to being a teacher, chef, coach, and parent all at once. To keep a sense of normalcy, it’s important to incorporate some physical activity into your daily routine.

It’s difficult to come up with new activities that your kids love as much as, if not more than their ipad or video games, especially when stuck at home. Indoor exercises give your child a moment to take a break from schoolwork, chores, and electronics to get their heart pumping and release some much-needed endorphins.

List of Exercises for Kids Inside 

Free Video Workouts: Most kids are not strangers of YouTube– the free video-streaming platform has a number of workout videos for kids online! Here are a few channels and videos to check out:

• Cosmic Kids Yoga

• Zumba for Kids

• Little Sports

Dance Parties: Tell Alexa to pump up the jams and start moving! Encourage kids to be silly and dance to the tune of their hearts. An indoor dance party can keep your little ones entertained for quite some time.

Traditional Exercises: Another simple way to get a workout inside is to stick with the basics. Try using common exercises to create sets for children to try. 

Pro Tip: Use a whiteboard or poster board to write exercises with sets for each day. Have kids mark when they’ve done a workout with a checkmark or sticker.

Here are some kid-friendly repetitions to get started:

• Push-ups: 5 push-ups X 3 reps
• Jumping jacks: 10 jumping jacks X 3 reps
• Squats: 5 squats X 3 reps
• Planks: 30-second planks
• Crunches: 25 crunches
• Touch your toes: Reach up high and down to your toes 10 times

Fun Exercise for Kids in the Backyard

According to medical studies, fresh air and vitamin D is great for mental health. If you have a backyard, try some of these activities!

Animal races: Print out some photos of animals including crabs, dogs, cows, birds, and snails! Put the photos face down and whichever animal is chosen will be how they race. Mark a finish line with a cone or some duct tape and let the kids crab walk and crawl to their heart’s content.

Water balloon toss: Set up some empty boxes, hula hoops, or draw circles on the ground with chalk. Challenge kids to toss their water balloons into the designated area. Consider keeping score and offering a prize to the child who earns the most points.

Station rotations: Another fun way to get moving in the yard is to set up stations similar to an obstacle course. You can include animal races, water balloon toss, hula hoop contests, and more! Get creative with each station and ask your kids what they’d like to try. Set a five-minute timer and have the kids rotate stations every time the timer beeps. 

Consider Taking Turns

While many of these workouts can be done as a family, you might need a break. Schedule some time to go on a run or walk by yourself. Work with your spouse to take turns working out. When one of you is exercising, the other can play with the kids. 

Fit Family Goals

With so much uncertainty in the current situation, physical activity might be the last thing on your mind. But, it’s necessary to keep your family’s mental and physical health in shape. Try some of these activities or get creative and make your own! Connect with us to let us know what works best for your family.