Summer Boost
Activity:
Fitness Game
With television, video games, and the Internet to keep them happy, kids these days have less and less reason to go outside for entertainment. Don't let your child fall into this alarming trend by introducing fitness games like this one into her daily routine. A cross between a cake walk and musical chairs, this energetic game makes exercise fun. Your child will love walking around the path to her favorite music and performing quick physical activities when the music stops. Since this game is best with several participants, why not invite some of your child's friends over for a little group fitness fun?
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What You Need:
- Fitness equipment such as jump ropes, hula hoops, balls, scoops, beanbags, and juggling balls
- Chalk
- 8-12 index cards (you can use more or less depending on the number of participants you have)
- Small objects such as bean bags, small rocks, toy cars, etc.
- Cones, carpet squares, and/or rubber mats (optional)
- Flat, hard surface
- CD player or other device for playing music
- Fun music
What You Do:
- Write a different fitness activity on each index card.
- Create a circular path for the participants to follow. You can do this one of several ways: draw a path on the ground with chalk, mark a path using cones, carpet squares, or rubber mats placed on the ground, or use a combination of both methods.
- Place the fitness equipment in the middle of the circle.
- Place the index cards at different spots around the path, putting one of the small objects on top of each card to act as markers and to keep the cards in place.
- To begin the game, have the children line up around the path. Start the music, then have the children walk along the path, making sure they step over the small objects and index cards.
- After 20 seconds or so, stop the music. Have each child pick up the nearest index card, read it, then place it back under its marker so it doesn't get misplaced.
- Have each child perform the activity listed on his or her index card for 30 seconds to a minute using the fitness equipment in the center of the circle if necessary. When they're done, have them place the equipment back in the middle of the circle.
- Repeat steps 5-7 as many times as you like. The more activities the children do, the more exercise they get!
