Ideas for Keeping/Getting Kids Active
Lisa Merrill M.S., R.D.
From Sports Illustrated- Nov. 15, 2004

Skill Development- Relatively Inexpensive
Jumping rope- receive beads for mastering new tricks, jumping for specific times, or number of jumps.

Practicing skills only (no games) for football, soccer, and basketball

Practicing skills and easy low key games for volleyball

Playing tag with nerf foam items (especially the nerf items picked up at sporting
Events; local team logos)

Playing dodge ball with nerf balls (getting hit in the face causes laughter only)

Walk or run using pedometers, or knowing how many loops in gyms/tracks equals a mile. Accumulate beads for a specific number of miles completed

Training for a focused race- Such as a couple mile “Spring Fever” Run through town

Dancing to music with or without funny costumes

Tinkling (a game from the Philippines) Use PVC. Kids kneel on the floor and smack the PVC poles to the ground. The other kids jump over or in between the poles. Similar to jump rope but with percussive rhythms.

Fitness relay- Have a group of kids to a team. 1 kid runs around the gym (or yard) while the others perform a skill such as sit-ups, pushups, jumping jacks, sit and reach, arm circles. The first team to get all runners around the gym “wins”.

Frisbee golf- throw a Frisbee (or other safe item) at a target and run to it, then throw to next target

Indy 500- Kids start running then stand behind posters of Indy cars while music plays and stops (preferably music about cars). All activities have race-themed names, such as “Flat Tire” means stop and do pushups.

A bit more $ needed
Inline Skating- with helmets and pads of course. Skill development. As they get better, set up obstacles or orange cones to skate around.