3 minute read
Family Room Warrior Ninjas
Indoor Madness
Family Room Warrior Ninjas Fun ways to stay active inside when it’s too cold to play outside.
Have you heard how important regular physical activity is? Did you know you should get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day? It is important to your health and growth. Plus you will reduce your risk of getting sick a lot later in life.
It’s easy to get off the bus, do homework and then zone out in front of a screen. I get it – it’s cold and dark outside and the couch is so comfy.
Time to take charge of your health and bring the fun inside with a little creativity and imagination. Create your own winter routine to include plenty of physical activity every day, but focus on activities that help move your muscles and get your heart pumping, like push-ups, jumping rope and running. Here are a few suggestions to get you moving this winter.
Indoor Obstacle Courses Ask an adult where it is safe to create an indoor obstacle course. Build tunnels and tubes by stacking up cushions and pillows to make hurdles, and chairs covered with blankets to make tunnels. Include jump rope, ring toss, or hula hoop. Make it harder by hopping on one foot, crab walking or doing the army crawl. When you’re done, set a timer and see how fast you can clean up and put it all away.
Indoor Freeze Tag Choose who will be “It” to catch and tag. Once tagged, a player must freeze in that position until released. Or play tag in a dark room with a flashlight.
Freeze Dance Turn on your favorite music and get everybody dancing. Then, stop the music, and everyone has to stop dancing too. Catch somebody still moving? They’re out of the game. Last one still dancing wins! Or just have a big dance party.
Balloon Tennis or Volleyball Blow up a balloon, tie a string across two chairs or tape a string between two walls and bat the balloon back and forth. For more fun, make
it a competition and see if you can keep your balloon in the air the longest! Your arms will get quite a workout.
Snowball fight Grab your brother or sister, friend or favorite adult. Reach into your paper recycle bin and pull out paper or newspaper. Wad the paper up into tight balls. Make as many as you need and fire away. But make sure you pick them all up and toss them back into the recycling bin when you are done.
Water bottle bowling Grab several unopened water bottles or reuse some from the recycling bin. Fill them with water and line them up into three lines. Make a line with a yardstick or string about 10 feet away and bowl away. Then time yourself to see how quickly you can reset the bottles. Keep score or just play for fun, either way it’s a great way to spend time indoors.
Home Mini Golf Ask an adult to borrow their golf club or buy one from a used sports gear store. Round up a few plastic cups and balls to practice your miniature golf skills. Just don’t hit the ball too hard. Do jumping jacks every time you hit a hole-in-one.
Bundle Up & Go Outside Anyway Unless it’s truly freezing, put on your coat, hat and gloves and head outdoors for a refreshing walk or a game of tag or soccer. Breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the sunshine, and then head inside and warm up with a cup of hot chocolate.
PARENTS FYI
Give your kids an exercise video or DVD. You can find aerobics, dance, yoga, and even martial arts videos. There are also lots of exercise videos on YouTube. Find video games like kick-boxing, tennis, baseball, bowling or dancing and they’ll never have to leave the living room.