As few as 30 minutes — 60 minutes for your kids — is all it takes to meet recommended guidelines for daily activity. (Aim for more if you can!) Keep everyone active as you spend some quality time together as a family this summer. Here are some tips:
- Make the backyard your playground. Throw a football back and forth, kick a soccer ball around, or get running with a rousing game of tag.
- Go fly a kite. Find a treeless spot, hang onto the kite string, and let your child run with it until the kite is airborne.
- Ride bikes. Cruise around the neighborhood together as a family.
- Gear up. Keep inexpensive equipment such as balls, jump ropes, and hula hoops on hand for active fun.
- Get the dirt out. Car not looking so spotless? Instead of taking it to the car wash, clean it together as a family. Or host a dog wash for your street.
- Pull weeds. Gardening is great exercise for the whole family. Bonus: Your yard looks great!
- Head to the pool. Do laps at the YMCA or a community pool to keep cool and fit.
- Scale the walls. A rock-climbing gym can provide a full-body workout the whole family will enjoy.
- Have a ball. Organize community kickball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, or softball games.
- Get your groove on. Put on some music and have a dance party. Or clean the house as a family, with tunes in the background to keep everyone moving.
- Create a tournament. Set up a relay race, obstacle course, beanbag toss, etc. Don’t forget prizes!
- Hit a bull’s-eye. Fill up water balloons and draw a chalk target ring on the driveway. (Fill a few extra for a game of water balloon dodge ball afterward.)
- Be cool. Let’s face it: Sometimes it’s just too hot out there. Head to the mall and walk in air-conditioned comfort.
