As children settle back into their school routines, the shorter days and diminishing outdoor activities signal that it won’t be long before they start declaring, “I’m bored.” So, how can you ensure they remain active, healthy, and engaged while cooped up indoors?
Guidelines for Activity Levels
According to Canadian recommendations, preschool-aged kids should engage in at least 180 minutes of physical activity throughout the day, while children aged 5 to 17 need a minimum of 60 minutes daily, which should include aerobic exercises along with muscle and bone strengthening activities at least three times weekly.
This doesn’t necessitate formal sports or lengthy exercise sessions. Simply keeping them actively engaged for as little as 15 minutes every hour can significantly contribute to achieving the recommended physical activity levels.
For older children, while a sport or physical class like dance might seem like enough exercise, it’s crucial to note that they might end up spending considerable time sitting or observing instead of participating actively.
Advantages of Staying Active
By promoting a physically active lifestyle, you’re instilling lifelong healthy habits in your children. They will not only enhance their cardiovascular health and develop stronger muscles and bones but will also boost their immune systems and lower the likelihood of type 2 diabetes.
More active kids tend to have higher self-esteem and a better outlook on life. Research shows that they experience reduced anxiety and depression levels, improved concentration abilities, and often excel academically.
There are numerous methods to keep children active indoors without requiring costly equipment. Here are some engaging activities that our family enjoys, or you can invent your own. The possibilities are limited only by your creativity and your tolerance for playful noise and laughter!
- Running after and popping bubbles
- Playing Simon Says (great for getting young ones moving)
- Setting up musical chairs (use cushions as seats)
- Sing “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (both fun and educational for toddlers)
- Indoor hopscotch (create a grid with masking tape)
Whimsical Sports
Instruct your children to lie down on their backs and mimic riding a bicycle with their legs in the air. While in this position, have them scissor their legs while lifting light items like cans from the pantry as weights. For an added challenge, they can lay across a pile of pillows and pretend to swim through the air. Encourage them to maintain these activities for as long as they can.
Playmobil Hide and Seek
Hide multiple Playmobil figures around the house and challenge the kids to find them all. Each time they discover a figure, they must race back to their “home” base before searching for the next one.
Yarn Webs
Using yarn or twine, create a tangled web around the legs of furniture. Teach your little “spiders” to crawl through and over the webbing you’ve crafted.
Timed Scavenger Hunt
Compile a list of items for your child to search for, adding some twists by using clues such as “something with stripes” or “a book about a dog.” You can have them race against time to find the most items, or see who can retrieve one from each category the fastest.
Dance Statues
Play music for dancing, interspersing calls for different moves like “touch your toes” or “spin around.” Then turn off the music abruptly, and everyone must freeze like statues. Repeat until they are either too tired to continue or laughing too hard to stand still!
Creative Crossings
Challenge your children to find unique ways to navigate the room: crawling, stepping on paper “stepping stones,” or carrying one another. This activity sparks their creativity and critical thinking.
Hot Potato – Balloon Edition
Inflate a balloon and have the kids pass it back and forth without using their hands. It’s an added challenge to keep the balloon from touching the floor, ceiling, or furniture!
Tidy-up Olympics
Turn cleaning into an exciting game. Can you shoot stuffed animals into their box from across the room, toss trash into the bin, or sort laundry into the hamper quickly? How high can you reach to place a book on the shelf?
Teach Me Something
Invite your child to show you some of the moves they know—be it a soccer pass or a ballet position. In return, teach them a yoga pose or a dance move you’re familiar with. This strengthens communication and closeness between you.
Crab Walk Challenge
Teach your little ones to move like crabs, then task them with crossing the room while balancing different objects on their bellies.
While traditional tag indoors could lead to chaos, scrunching paper into a ball and throwing it to tag someone lets you enjoy the same excitement without the physical contact.
