“Get Your Body Moving!”

I’ve been seeing a lot of requests for cold weather ideas for our kids to get some exercise during these winter months of social distancing due to COVID. Here are some activities to help keep your child (and you) get a little workout during this time spent at home. Enjoy our top 5 ways to get moving!

1) Get Outside! Although we must stay separate from others, this doesn’t mean we have to stay indoors. Get outside. Ride a bike around the neighborhood. Walk the dog. Take a hike. Plan out your spring garden. Enjoy your swing set. Draw with chalk in the driveway or on the patio. Blow bubbles and catch them. Have relay races in the back yard. Play kickball or soccer. It may be chilly out but bundle up and make it work.

2) Bad weather? Have your kid play “Cinderella.” As adults, we may dislike cleaning, but to a kid, it’s a novel idea. Teach them to scrub the bathtub walls with a kid safe cleaner. Break out the Swiffer mop. Teach your kiddo to use the attachments on the vacuum to catch all the “dust bunnies.” Hand out a dusting wand and let them “paint” your baseboard clean! Get them a lint free cloth or newspapers and some Windex and enjoy some clean windows!

3) Dance Party: Log onto YouTube and follow GoNoodle. They have tons of exercises videos and songs to have an awesome dance party to with your kiddo. Want less screen time? Pull up your kiddos favorite tunes and have a rockin’ dance party! Introduce them to your favorite songs from when YOU were a kiddo! Practice old moves like the mashed potato, Charleston, grapevine and twist!

4) Got some couch potatoes who just want to sit watch a movie? Make it a “Moving Game!” Create a list of movie scenarios and have your child do an exercise every time it happens in the movie.  

Examples:

Frozen 2 Work Out: 10 Squats every time Elsa hears the Siren, 10 push ups every time Kristoff tries to propose, 10 jumping jacks every time someone sings a song, 3 burpees every time Elsa sees the water horse or tries to leave Ana 

Star Wars Work Out: Marching 10 times in place whenever you see storm troopers, 10 jumping jacks during any light saber battle, 3 burpees whenever there is a space ship/ pod race, 10 bicycle kicks whenever someone uses the force

5) Don’t forget about exercise video games. Dig out your Wii, X-box Kinect, or any version of Just Dance or Dance Dance Revolution! If you don’t have an exercise based game, make your kiddo stand to play or march along with racing games to keep them moving!

I feel like sometimes I have to come up with some novel, super fun activity. BUT something as simple as jumping on the bed, a tickle fight or a pillow fight end up being breathless fun!

Hope you have some fun with your little ones!

Perfectly Yours,

Dr. Mo