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Kids of this generation spend most of their time playing games on smartphones and watching cartoons and videos on the internet. They hardly go out to play games. As parents, you must be looking for ways to get your child to go out and play outdoor games such as badminton, hopscotch, or tag just the way you did in your childhood. But he must have found virtual versions of these games too. What’s the solution? You need to look for some more fun and interesting games and activities to get your kids moving – and we have something for you. We bring you a list of some engaging indoor and outdoor physical activities for your kids. These activities will surely keep your child and his friends happily engaged for long.
Physical Activities for Toddlers
Children of this age are too young to be left alone and will require adult assistance. Keeping this in mind, here are some physical activities for kids between 2 and 3 years.
Indoor Activities
Some of the best indoor activities for toddlers include:
1. The Animal Kingdom
This game is quite fun and your kid will love to act like animals of the jungle. Ask your child to hop like a frog or walk like a penguin. Imitating the movements of different animals will develop his physical strength and he will even learn something or the other about the animals he imitates.
2. Over and Under
For this activity, you need to lie on the ground. Elevate your hips so that you form a bridge with your body. Ask your child to crawl from under the bridge. Get in the plank position then and ask your child to jump over. Not only is this a fun activity for your child, but you can consider this to be a small workout for yourself.
3. Jumping Jacks
Jumping Jacks is a great exercise for adults but your child can do it too. Encourage your kiddo to do at least 10-15 jumping jacks – he will have fun plus he will get some exercise.
4. Keep the Balloon Up
This activity can prove to be a lot of fun for your child but you must make sure that your child tries this activity in an open space or in a room where there are no harmful toys or glass objects. For this activity, blow some balloons and then ask your child to keep the balloons floating up in the air and they should not touch the ground. If you want to make it more fun, you can turn it into a competition.
5. Freeze Dance
If your kid loves dancing to music, he will going to enjoy this activity for sure. Play some music, your child’s favourite music and let your child dance his heart out. Pause the music every once in a while, and your child to freeze when the music stops. He should freeze in whatever position he happens to be in.
Outdoor Activities
Some outdoor activities for toddlers include:
1. Play Ball
Take your baby out to the park for a game of ball. If you have a backyard, that’s even better. You and your child can play catch or kick with the ball. Make sure you do not use any hard balls but go for the ones made for children of their age.
2. Go Cycling
Invest in a tricycle and let your little one peddle along happily. This is good exercise and also very fun for your child.
3. Garden Gnomes
This game requires you to have a few little garden gnome figures. You could also just use any other objects you want as long as it is easy for your child to find. Just hide them around the place and give your child a basket to collect them in when they find them. You can ask them to hide the gnomes around the garden for you to find as well to keep things more interesting for them.
4. Playground
Take your child to a playground that has things like slides, swings, monkey bars, tunnels etc. so that he has the chance to develop a few extra motor skills but be sure not to leave him alone as he will still need your assistance at this age.
5. Kiddie Pool
A good activity for your child on hot summer afternoons would be swimming. You can take him to a pool and get him started. With the right gear, you can start teaching your kids how to swim, which is one of the best and most fun exercises.
Physical Activities for Kindergarten
Physical activities will help lower the chances of children becoming overweight or developing other health-related issues. They will also help improve your child’s overall growth and development. Preschoolers need at least one hour of properly structured playtime each day as well as one hour of free play. It is best if all the activities are exciting and that your children have fun in the process.
Indoor Activities
Some indoor activities for kindergarteners include:
1. Balance Beam
For this activity, all you will need is masking tape. Roll out the tape on the floor such that you form a line, then ask your child to walk only on that line. You can even stick the tape in a zigzag to make it more fun for your child. This activity will help improve the balance of your child.
2. Follow the Leader
For this activity, you will have to be the leader and ask your child to follow what you do. Walk in and around the house and while walking, do activities like jumping, jogging, squatting and stomping and ask your child to repeat after you. This is one of the most fun indoor physical activities for preschoolers.
3. Musical Bubble Shapes
Take some bubble wrap and cut it into different shapes big enough for your child to stand on and stick them on to the floor. The activity is meant to teach them about different shapes in a fun way. Play some music and let your kid dance, hop and jump around over all the shapes, bursting the bubbles. When the music stops, the kids have to tell you what shape they are standing on.
4. The Missing Fruit
You will need some plastic fruit that you can hide around the place and a few fruit cards that match the plastic fruit. Give your child one card to observe and then ask him to find the matching plastic fruit.
5. Proposition Obstacle Course
Set up the room to form a makeshift obstacle course. Then ask your child to follow instructions that you give him. Your instructions should be like “Crawl under the table.” “Climb over the chair.” etc., in order to pass the course.
Outdoor Activities
Some outdoor activities for kindergarteners include:
1. Hot Potato
This is the game your child can play with his friends. Ask the children to stand in a circle – one child should stand in the centre of the circle holding a ball. The ball is the “hot potato”, and the circle is the “oven.” The child has to try and get out of the circle while pushing the ball around with his feet. The rest of the children have to try and stop the child from getting the ball out, and they too are only allowed to use their feet. Pick a different child for the next round.
2. Hula Hooping
One of the best outdoor physical activities for preschoolers is hula hooping. Place some different coloured hula hoops on the ground randomly. Then allow the children to gather around to follow instructions such as “hop into the green hoops in groups of four.”
3. Treasure Hunt
You will need a small treasure box decorated by the children and collect some inexpensive treasures like a few beaded necklaces and small rings, play money and perhaps some candy. Hide the treasure box somewhere in the yard then make some instructions or clues to help the children find the treasure. The clues or instructions should also be spread about and simple enough for the kids to understand like “Go to the place where the flowers grow” or “Take ten steps to the right from the benches.” Kids will definitely enjoy the activity ‘Treasure Hunt’ and even thank you for introducing this activity to you.
4. Outside Animals
Ask the children to stand in a line in the garden facing the direction they will be running in. Draw a line at some distance – it will be the finish line. The kids will need to go to the finish line the same way a particular animal would. If you call out “Penguin!” then they will have to race by walking like penguins to the finish line. This makes for fun physical activity for 4-year-olds.
5. Blind Trust
This activity will help your child learn to pay attention to and follow instructions. Set up a simple obstacle course like a few hula hoops, cones, skipping ropes and a few small boxes. Give him a ball, blindfold him then guide him around the obstacle course with verbal directions.
Physical Activities for Children (Ages 5 to 8)
If your children develop healthy habits that include lots of physical activities at a young age, they are far more likely to carry these habits forward with them for their entire lives. Here are some activities you can do with your children to keep them active, healthy and happy:
Indoor Activities
Some indoor activities for kids of this age group include:
1. Headstands
A great way to harness your child’s energy into one thing. Handstands can be tricky, but fun to do. Place a pillow in a corner against the wall and help your child learn to do a handstand. Always supervise as you do not want your little one to get hurt.
2. Musical Chairs
This game is a lot of fun and is loved by all. Set up a bunch of chairs and ask kids to run around them while the music is being played. When the music stops, the kids should sit down on the chair near them. Whoever is left without a chair will be out of the game. This means you will need to have one chair less than the number of kids playing, so be ready to shuffle those chairs about.
3. Jumping Rope
Get a skipping rope for your child and have some fun. You can teach your child how to skip the normal way, backwards and even have him jump rope while singing some rhymes.
4. Duck, Duck, Goose!
Make the children sit in a circle and have one of them be the “goose” while the rest will play “ducks”. The child will then have to walk around the circle tapping everyone on the shoulder and saying “duck”. The goose should randomly tap someone and say “goose”. The child who got called a goose will have to then chase the other around before he sits in the empty spot.
5. Bowling
Fill up some water bottles to be the bowling pins and use any ball that you have at home. Place the bottles in one line near a wall of your drawing room and ask your child to bowl. It’s a fun game and your child will love it.
Outdoor Activities
Some outdoor activities for kids from this age group include:
1. Hiking
Not only does hiking work out the muscles but it also builds endurance in your children. Hiking is a way to also show your child the outdoors and drift their attention from screens. It is one of the best ways to get your child to interact with nature.
2. Swimming
Swimming is one of the best exercises for those who are not able to cope well with too much stress on their muscles. The water soothes the muscles and also provides an element of fun in the midst of this incredible workout. It is a very good physical activity for children.
3. Walk the Dog
Dogs are the best companions for children as they are loving, playful and, if well trained, obedient. Your child will have a great time playing with the dog, especially if they are an only child. Getting your child involved in exercising the dog will help him get more exercise, while also teaching him how to be responsible for another living creature.
4. Roller Skating
Take your kids to the rink for some roller skating as this form of exercise is fun as well as will teach your child some confidence.
5. Badminton
Another fun way of exercising your child while keeping the element of fun. Practising badminton now will definitely help improve your child’s game in the future.
Not only do these activities provide your children with exercise but they also gain more self-confidence, and they are better able to cope with different situations later in life. However, despite all the other good benefits that physical activities have, the best one by far is that they have direct and immediate contact with other individuals making them able to bond with others on a deeper level.
