7 Ways to Keep the Kids Active While Social Distancing

Finding ways to keep your children active during this time of social distancing can feel like a challenge, but it’s more important than ever to keep them moving. With no PE class, recess, dance lessons, soccer practice or friends to chase around it’s time to get creative. 
 
Join your kids for a movement break to keep yourself active as well. The COVID-19 crisis has many of us confined to our houses, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose hope. Fresh air and activity can go a long way to helping maintain a positive mindset and a healthy body.  Burn some calories, get your endorphins flowing and, most of all, try to enjoy the time together as a family.

More: 5 Ways Kids Can Stay Connected and Social While Social Distancing

Below you will find suggestions for both outdoor activities as well as indoor activities since the weather is not always predictable, and activities that can be fun for both parents and kids.

Caper Story-Led Adventures in Nature

Do you have a difficult time getting your kids to look up from the screen and head outdoors? Enter a new app called Caper. Caper was created when the founder was trying to coax his five-year-old daughter out to the park on a beautiful day but she was absorbed in watching TV.

The Caper app offers parents original stories known as ‘missions’ designed to be played by the family together outdoors. Caper’s missions keep screen time to a minimum and have a real-world focus interwoven into the narrative of each adventure, helping reconnect families to each other and the world around them through Caper's original characters Captain Redtail and Holly Goodpsell and exciting adventures to play together.

Caper even offers a wintertime adventure called Snow Season, a series of twelve interactive family adventures, delivered daily on the Caper app in the run up to Christmas.

Download the app here.

Dance Parties

Turn up the tunes and shake it off! No prep needed, no special materials required, but still lots of fun! Take turns picking high-energy songs for a rousing good time. A simple dance party can definitely be fun for the whole family. Maybe one of your children wants to break out their inner choreographer and plan a dance for the whole family. Or just turn up the music and get to grooving.

Hide and Seek

Throw it back to the basics, hide and seek can have your children running around looking high and low. Take turns hiding each other or an object.  
 
This is a great game for both indoors and outdoors so the weather does not need to be a factor. As an extra challenge, bust out a timer and see how fast you can find what you’re looking for to really get the energy going. Family competitive streaks are sure to emerge!

Balloon Volleyball

Best played inside and very low prep, all you really need is a balloon. The object is simple - keep the balloon off the ground for as long as possible!  
 
If you need to really get your kids moving make it more challenging - no hands allowed!  You might want to move furniture out of the way for extra room. This is the perfect rainy day activity.

Hop Scotch

All you need is a piece of chalk and a small stone. Get your heart rate up while also reinforcing coordination and number skills. Lots of siblings, great!  Only child? No problem, this is a great game for several players or alone.  See how far you can make it before losing your balance! This is the ultimate test in coordination and focus.
 
Check out our instructions for a classic game of hopscotch here.

Obstacle Course

This is another easy way to utilize movement skills indoors as well as outdoors.  Whether it’s navigating your way over couch cushions and under blankets or kicking balls through hula hoops and climbing under jump ropes, you can make obstacle courses challenging for every age. The best part is that you don’t need specific materials; use what you have!  Encourage problem solving, critical thinking and lots of coordination as you navigate your way through each obstacle. 
 
Brittany McCabe from Mama Bear Britt recommends “Couch Jumping."  If your little one is too small for a true obstacle course, using the couch cushions and letting them practice jumping without losing their balance might be just their speed.
 
Check out our ultimate guide to building an indoor obstacle course here.

Online Workouts

When you’re stuck inside due to the weather, try to find an online exercise class. From GoNoodle to Youtube the options are endless. Choose a rousing Zumba class, or a relaxing yoga session for a change in pace. 
 
There are many options right at your fingertips that can help you find ways to get your kids active from the comfort of your living room.

Looking for ways to keep the kids busy and learning during social distancing? Sign up for the Prepared Parent, a daily newsletter filled with everything to help mom and dad in their roles as teacher-parents.