9 Tips to Get Your Family Moving
As Newton said, an object at rest stays at rest, and for many of America’s families, this can be applied to the all-too-pervasive sedentary lifestyle that many of us have fallen into. In today’s world, there are greater opportunities to be at rest and the fight to get your kids moving can be a difficult one when you’re competing with screens, social media, and video games.
Kids are asked to sit at their school desks for hours at a time, and the situation for adults isn’t much better. According to Boston Children’s Hospital, school-aged children spend approximately seven hours sitting, which is about 50% of waking hours. Adults average nearly eight hours in sedentary activities.
The Institute of Medicine recommends children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, and adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week plus two additional days with muscle-strengthening activities. If you’re overwhelmed by this data, you’re not alone. Parents are already stretched thin, and adding in yet another thing can feel impossible.
Movement doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated though. You don’t need fancy equipment or a gym membership to get the family moving. Instead, rely on your creativity and tap into your inner child to look for fun ways to incorporate more movement into your day.
Here are 9 suggestions to help you get started:
1. Bring back your childhood favorites
Did you love jump-roping? Skip-it? Handball? Pogo sticks? Think back to the things you enjoyed doing as a kid and introduce the activity to your kids. If you have them, pull out pictures or home videos of you engaging in these activities as a youngster. As parents, we remember the time before at-home technology and devices in our pockets, and most of our childhoods were spent inventing games and running through the neighborhood for hours.
Introduce your kids to what that was like. Swap screen time for a few minutes outside inventing a new game. Teach your kids double-dutch (affiliate link) or take them up to the local school and play handball against the building.
2. Let your kids teach you their favorite game or sport
If your child plays on a sports team, let them show you what they know. Shoot hoops in the driveway (or create a makeshift basket in the house and roll up a pair of socks to create a ball). Play catch in the backyard or let your child teach you their latest dance routine.
Children love to teach adults something that they don’t know, so even if you have the neighborhood’s hardest slapshot, let your child show you how to put more speed behind your shot.
3. Make it a game
Have kids who are reluctant to get moving? Challenge them with a game or competition. Who can weed a section of the garden the fastest? Race to the mailbox and back. Find an empty wall and see who can hold a handstand the longest. Find a pair of dice, assign an exercise to correspond with each number, and roll the dice for a surprise exercise sequence. Let the internet do the work for you and try out GoNoodle, a treasure trove of interactive games and challenges that get kids moving.
It doesn’t matter what the competition is, just that it involves movement of some sort. A quick warning to the wise, however: if you have kids that span age ranges, make sure there is an opportunity for the younger kids to “win” too. Always losing to the older kids can be discouraging and have the opposite effect.
4. Take a walk
Make time a few days each week to take a walk around the neighborhood. If you have a pet, leash them up and bring them along! For younger kids, engage them with a game such as “I Spy” or a scavenger hunt. And for your older kids, use the time to let them tell you about their day. Want to add a little adventure to your walk? Try Geocaching, the world’s largest treasure hunt, or bring back old favorite Pokemon Go. Both of these games get users moving and may spark a bit more interest in kids than a traditional walk around the block.
The walk doesn’t need to be strenuous. A stroll still gets the blood flowing and the time spent together outdoors is great for bringing the family closer.
5. Rainy day obstacle courses
Inspired by the popular pandemic-era Netflix series, Floor Is Lava, let your kids create their own obstacle course in your home (safely). Be sure to remove the sharp-edged or glass-top pieces of furniture, and include pillows to cushion any falls. Join in on the fun and jump from surface to surface, avoiding the “lava” that is sure to burn your feet.
6. Wash the car… or a water fight
Kids love to use the hose. As the weather gets warmer, fill up a few buckets with soap and water, hand them the hose and sponges, and let them get to work. At the very least, your car will get wiped down, however imperfectly. At best, your kids will have a blast running around and starting a friendly water fight!
7. Family bike rides
Research a local paved trail (or unpaved, if that’s your thing) and pack up the bikes for a family adventure. Be sure to pack water bottles and snacks, especially for the younger kids to stave off the “I’m soooooo thirsty” complaints. If your family is ready to take on neighborhood streets, check out Bikemap, an app that helps you discover new bike routes and navigate safely to your destination.
Pro tip: check the air in the tires and inspect your helmets before suggesting a bike ride to your kids. Nothing is more disappointing or deflating than discovering a flat tire or broken helmet strap after getting pumped up for a family bike ride.
8. Dance Party!
Is there anything more fun than cranking up your favorite tune and breaking out in dance? Your kids might roll their eyes at your outdated sprinkler moves, especially your pre-teens and teens. But who can resist joining in the dance party? If you want to add a little more choreo to your jam, check out Just Dance Now, a free mobile app that makes your smartphone your game controller and your internet-connected screen the dance instructor. If you’re not interested in navigating in-app purchases or subscriptions, you can dig up some Just Dance videos on YouTube (like this one). Just double-check the video for language or appropriate dance moves before turning on for the kids!
9. Pomodoro the homework routine
Sounds like a fancy Italian dish, but it’s actually a time management tool. The Pomodoro Technique was created by Francesco Cirillo to help him study in college. He used a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato (hence pomodoro, which means “tomato” in Italian). While the strategy is meant to break longer stretches of work into smaller, more manageable chunks of time, it can be used as a great way to get your kids moving while they are doing homework.
The strategy is simple: set a timer for 25 minutes and have your kids get to work. When the timer goes off, they stand up, shake off the stillness and stretch. You can put on a song and have (another) dance party, challenge them to a push-up competition, or do five minutes of yoga. And then they get back to work for another 25 minutes.
The benefits of this strategy go beyond the few minutes of standing and movement between segments of sedentary activity. This strategy is known to improve concentration, limit distractions, and plan the time it takes to complete a task more efficiently.
Other opportunities for movement outside of your home
If you have more time and resources available, there are other great opportunities to get more active in your neighborhood. Most of the suggestions below will depend on your community resources available, so be sure to check out your local community websites for more ideas and specifics.
Free and Cheap Ideas
- Family hikes
- Many local libraries allow members to “check out” national and state park passes so your family can explore for free!
- Local rec centers and YMCAs
- Check Facebook and other social networking sites for family meet-ups at local parks, playgrounds, and activity centers (with a quick search of your neighborhood’s name, you’ll likely find a group of nearby parents and families)
- Laps and games around the local high school track
- Mall walking
- Neighborhood playgrounds
Paid Ideas
- Indoor trampoline parks
- Bowling
- Paddleboarding, pedal boats, or canoeing
- Ice or roller skating
- Swimming at the local pool or open water
- Ziplining courses
- Rock climbing gyms
Movement is necessary to stave off a sedentary lifestyle. Incorporating short moments of movement into your child’s life will not only promote physical health, but it will help them developmentally and academically with better sleep, deeper focus, and more clarity. Incorporating movement into your day doesn’t need to be complicated. Think back to your childhood and the things you enjoyed, and find little ways to encourage movement throughout the day. The more fun an activity, the easier the buy-in from your kids!
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