Are your children getting bored while stuck at home? Are you as a parent in need of activities to keep your child engaged, occupied, and/or active? We’ve compiled a list of some simple activities your young child can do at home, either indoors or outdoors, to keep them moving. These are designed for children ages 4-10, but can be easily adjusted based on your child’s age. All of them are easy enough for a child to do independently, but fun enough for the whole family to enjoy as a group activity too!
Why is Staying Active Important?
Movement is a very important thing for everyone, but especially for a developing child. Aside from the role staying active can have on your child’s physical health, play can have many benefits for your child’s mental outlook, behavior control, problem-solving skills, and social interactions. When children are in school, they have time built into their day to participate in games and play, whether through gym or PE classes, recess breaks, or sports. But how are they staying active when there is no school? One option is simply giving them breaks in the day for free play, which is a great way to allow your child to use their imagination to play how they want to. However, you might need more structured activities too. That’s where we come in!
- Freeze Dance
One of the easiest activities to do is freeze dance. This doesn’t require any supplies other than some music! Put on some of your kids’ favorite tunes and dance it out! While the music is playing, their bodies must be moving. Once the music stops, freeze! It’s as easy as that! - Build an Obstacle Course
Let your kid’s imagination run wild and see what they come up with! Let them create their own obstacle course, or help them build one. It could be as simple as doing a different movement in each room of your house, or as intricate as using items to create forts to crawl through, hurdles to climb over, and obstacles to navigate.
Some movement ideas include hopscotch, jumping jacks, spinning, frog jumps, hopping on 1 foot, skipping, running, hurdles, climbing, crawling, etc. Be creative! - Children’s Yoga
Yoga is a great way to move your body and has a lot of benefits related to flexibility and relaxation. Teach your child some of the yoga poses you already know. Or use these links to get some ideas of child-friendly yoga poses and movements.
Childhood 101: Yoga Poses For Kids: Printable Body Awareness Cards
Kids Yoga Stories Blog: 58 Fun and Easy Yoga Poses for Kids
Pintrest: Animal Yoga for Kids Pose Cards - Dice Workout
This activity is a craft AND a physical activity all in one! First, craft it up to create your two dice using this dice template or spare cardboard boxes. Let the kids decorate the dice, then label them. One will have a number on each side for the amount of repetitions (the easiest is to do 1-6, but your kids can choose whatever numbers they want…within reason!).
The other will have a different movement on each side. Some examples of movements include jumping jacks, frog jumps, bear crawls, hopping on 1 foot, kicking, catching, dancing, etc. Be creative!
Once your creations are complete, just roll the dice and let them decide how many reps of an activity to do! - Animal Charades
Jump like a frog! Slither like a snake! Crawl like a bear! Have your kids write as many different animals as they can think of on pieces of paper. Or use these free printable kids animal charades cards. Fold them up, and take turns drawing them from a basket. One player will act out that animal, while the other(s) try to guess! Try not to make any animal sounds for an extra challenge. - Scavenger Hunt
Get some fresh air and keep your kids moving around as they try to find all of the items on the list! This can be as long or short, as easy or hard, as you design it to be! If it’s not great weather, this can be done inside the house too. Or if you’re feeling more adventurous, venture beyond your yard and include items that might be found on a neighborhood walk—the possibilities are endless!
Being thrown into a different routine, with your whole family cooped up in the house, can be very challenging, for you and your kids. Try out these activities to keep your kids entertained, engaged, and active. Participate with them and enjoy a day of fresh air, quality time, and fun! Then try coming up with some activities of your own!
*DISCLAIMER: If you are going to be leaving the safety of your home for any of these activities, please be sure to abide by state face covering regulations and CDC recommendations.
If you have any questions about this post or would like to speak with a physical therapist about an injury, give us a call at (978) 263-0007 or, use the contact form on our website. We would be happy to answer any questions and discuss possible next steps.
Achieve Physical Therapy is currently open in Acton, Bedford, and Sudbury MA. We can see you in the office or by video treatment. If you choose to come into the office, we are following all CDC guidelines including the use of face coverings, cleaning, personal hygiene, and staggering patient appointments to limit how many people are in the office.
