Search

Fun Family Fitness


Happy first of the month to all, and what a great way to kick it off by carrying on from our last blog post. We chatted about the importance of your involvement with your child outside of Thriving, to continue their development. But the age-old question is how?

Well activities at home should compliment the activities in Thriving. This means they should target some key fundamental moving skills (e.g. catching, throwing, balance and jumping) while sneaking in some strength. But most importantly it must be fun and engaging.

Now this may all sound like a lot and somewhat impossible BUT we are here to help and give a few activities to try out yourself!

1.Bucket Golf

Requirements

  • Throwing items: beanbags or socks

  • “Hole”: Bucket, laundry baskets, or cardboard boxes (the bigger the easier the activity is)

  • Tape: to mark tee off areas (if you don’t want to use tape find a piece of paper scrap)

Instructions

  1. Place the “holes” around the house to make a complete golf course.

  2. Place tape on the floor to mark where you throw from for each hole.

  3. Take turns standing on each golf tee and tossing (underhand) the item into the “hole”.

  4. Continue tossing at each “hole” until the player sinks the item.

  5. Go around the house golf course and keep track of how many tosses each of you requires to sink a shot at each hole.

Variations

  • Too make it a little harder, make the toss distance larger or decrease the size of the hole

  • Once the underhand throw has been mastered, play again using overhand throws

Benefits

This activity helps to develop coordination of the upper body and fine motor control. These skills transfer to many sports and other activities that have a throwing component.

2.Musical Statues

Requirements

  • An open space: cleared of obstacles

  • Boundaries: cones, tape or floor edges

  • Music: loud and fun!

  • Outside activity: choose an activity that must be completed on the outside before the player can come back in (e.g. 10 squats, 5 push ups or 10 star jumps)

Instructions

  1. Play the music and run or dance around the area

  2. Once the music stops, all players must freeze on the spot

  3. Hold your statue position until the music is played again

  4. If you don’t stop or hold your statue stand outside the boundaries and complete the activity that was set to come back in

Variations

  • You can use place markers (e.g. pillows) as a location of where the kids have to run and freeze. Have one less than the players to use the outside activity

  • Increase the freezing time

Benefits

Running and dancing around will get the kids’ heart pumping and their balance will be challenged during the freeze times. The start stop rules are also teaching children to listen and follow instructions.

3.Wheelbarrows

Requirements

  • Soft ground space: carpet, grass or turf

  • Cones: for players to go around. Can be other objects that stand up e.g. books, water bottles or containers

  • Even number of people

Instructions

  1. Have one child on their hands and knees and other behind. The child behind grabs the feet of the other and carries them as the child on the ground crawls forward with only their hands.

  2. Make your way around the cone and back as fast as you can.

  3. Once back to the start swap over roles and complete course again

Variations

  • To make it more challenging add obstacles and a non straight path for the kids to follow

  • If carrying the legs are too challenging have the parents hold the legs and the kids complete to laps of crawling with only hands.

Benefits

The upper body is getting a full workout in this activity along with working coordination for both of the children. Teamwork and communication are also key aspects of the game.

4.Egg and Spoon

Requirements

  • Spoons: if you don’t want to use the good kitchen items you can use other flat objects e.g. cricket bat or book

  • Egg: we recommend not using actual eggs (boiled may be less messy if the kids insist!) instead try a small soft ball or balled up socks

  • Cones: to mark out your course. Can also use other items that stand up e.g. fan, book or water bottles

Instructions

  1. Have each player place their “egg” on their “spoon” only using one hand to hold on

  2. Shout “Ready, set….GO!” and the players must complete the course without dropping the egg.

  3. If the egg is dropped you can set “challenges” that need to be completed before picking the egg back up e.g. 10 star jumps or 10 squats.

  4. Once the child completes the course, tag the next person to go.

  5. After every member on the team has completed the course one, everyone sits down; first team to be seated wins.

Variations

  • Include obstacles that need to be dodge to put more challenge on their balance and coordination

  • Try bigger eggs or spoons to make it easier

Benefits

Hand eye-coordination is the main target of this game. With obstacles the children will also have to use their peripheral vision and have fast decision making skills on how to avoid them without dropping the egg.

Why not try out these few games to get the family fun ball rolling!

Stay tuned for more activities and fun games that you and the family will continue to enjoy!

#familyfun #funfitness #teamthriving #exerciseexpertise #exercise