Staying Active Indoors This Winter
Though there\’s snow on the ground, there are plenty of ways to get the heart-pumping inside the house!
Speed-read
Amp up storytime: Select a word that will be repeated often (\”Ham,\” for instance, if you\’re reading Green Eggs and Ham) and have your child do five jumping jacks or pushups each time he hears it.
Animal charades
Scribble the names of different animals on pieces of paper and drop them into a hat. Take turns choosing a paper and acting out the animal (with no sounds for a real challenge) until someone guesses correctly.
Freeze frame
Collect a few stuffed animals, turn on some music, and dance until one observer halts the music. Dancers must freeze, and if anyone budges before the “pauser” begins the music again, he must select a stuffed \”dance partner.\” Keep dancing (and pausing) until all the animals are in play. If someone moves, he must grab an animal from an opponent. Dance until one child has all the animals or until you’re exhausted!
Catch with a catch
Have each player toss a beach ball into the air and try to touch his ear or high-five the player next to him before the ball drops. Make the challenges harder as you go along.
Color walk
Have your child collect sheets of construction paper or a stack of mismatched hand towels and lay them down in a path all through the household. To keep your child from slipping, tape down the construction paper/towels with tape. Tell your child to keep colors separate, so there won\’t be, say, four sheets of yellow paper in a row. Once your child is done, the challenge is on: Can he or she walk from one room to the next by stepping only on certain colors? Can she make it from one end of the house to the other, walking only on blue and red? Can she manage it on all fours, or by hopping?
Balloon volleyball
Volleyball usually takes more than one person, but the whole fun of this game is for your kid to play both sides. Blow up a balloon, set up the sofa or a chair as the center line, and have your child run back and forth to hit the balloon before it lands on the ground. See if he can keep it aloft for 21 turns, the usual winning score in volleyball.