45 Activities For Kids To Enjoy Over The Summer
With the holidays fast approaching, it is worth having a think about what activities you can busy your kids with so that they are not always glued to their technology or cooped up indoors everyday.
Although many households love to use technology it is important to switch off from time to time and focus on some fitness. Fitness can be fun and activities can be done at home and close to home! Every time your children throw a ball about, climb up the stairs, walk to the shops or use the hoover even (!), their fitness and health will be improving!
It is advised that children should be doing some sort of physical activity each day and so it is good to choose a variety of activities that include getting children up and moving about! The best way to encourage your children to be active is to find something they can have fun doing. The summer holidays are the longest break and it is important for children to be busy and to get the most out their time off from school.
You do not have to spend a fortune to get children active and a lot of activities can be done at and around home. It is important to try and find a variety of activities and ones that are fun and can include all the family.
Listed below are a few suggestions:
1. Build an obstacle course.
2. Dance to music.
3. Go for a swim.
4. Play hopscotch.
5. Have a go at pop up badminton or just badminton. You can improvise when it comes to a net!
6. Play basketball.
7. Go for a bike ride.
8. Try table tennis.
9. Go for a walk.
10. Do a treasure hunt.
11. Do some household chores.
12. Go for a jog.
13. Go to the play park.
14. Play tig/chase with friends.
15. Play with a skipping rope or hoop.
16. Play football.
17. Play hide and seek.
18. Build a den.
19. Have some running race competitions.
20. Do some circuits.
21. Do a mini sports day.
22. Walk the dog.
23. Work on your goal scoring.
24. Do some gardening.
25. Play with friends.
26. Tidy your bedroom!
27. Do some cooking.
28. Do some arts and crafts.
29. Go to the beach and build a sand castle.
30. Play Frisbee.
31. Play catch.
32. Play piggy in the middle.
33. Have a go at Zumba or a fitness workout together at home.
34. Go to the park for a kick about or a run around.
35. Play a game of cricket or rounders with friends or family.
36. Sign up for a local sports programme.
37. Do some races with friends and family: hoping, skipping, crawling, jumping, egg and spoon, three legged etc.
38. Go on a scooter, rollerblade, skateboard.
39. Go trampolining.
40. Try indoor rock climbing.
41. Fly a kite.
42. Take part in a charity children’s run, a park run or a 5K race.
43. Have a game of pitch and putt.
44. Go horse riding.
45. Think of an activity to do each day of your holiday!
What are the benefits of keeping children active?
There are many long-term health benefits for children who exercise regularly. Exercise can help reduce the risk of getting a number of health disorders. Children who keep busy and are active daily are believed to:
• sleep better (what all parents want to hear)!
• be more positive and have an improved self-esteem
• build stronger muscles and bones
• have healthier hearts and lungs
• have reduced stress levels
• become more energetic and less lethargic
• control their weight better
• have better concentration
• learn social skills better, especially in team sports
• develop good motor/movement skills and coordination
• reduce blood sugar levels which can reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as diabetes in the future
What about you adults?
Making time
During the holidays, it is easy to find you are so busy.
Try to make exercise the first activity otherwise you will find excuses during the day for why you cannot exercise.
Remember, just 30 minutes a day is enough to keep in shape.
If time is an issue, try to divide 30 minutes into three 10-minute workouts.
10 minutes could include jogging, star jumps, skipping ropes, or weights.
Remember
Exercise does not have to make you exhausted!
Just 30 minutes of activity each day can keep your weight under control.
There are plenty of fun ways to keep yourself and your kids active.
Exercise reduces stress.
Keeping active makes you feel better about yourself.
It is important to keep a balance between activities and your health.
Do some physical activity, but make sure you enjoy the holidays, too!