Want healthy meals your kids will love?

Top 6 Ways to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

6 Comments

Kids who don’t love organizes sports can find joy in physical activity with some creative input from you! Get kids pumped to move with these six ideas for inspiring exercise.

With iPads, TV, remote learning, and other sedentary activities dominating your kids’ day, it can feel like a struggle to get them up and moving!

But don’t give up! Keeping kids active helps improve their mood, learning, and physical health. And your kids don’t have to be athletes to enjoy the benefits.

Here are some simple ways to ensure your children stay on the move, learn about their bodies and have fun along the way!

1. Use Simple Props

Turn simple, dollar-store props into inspiration for movement-based games! Try some of these:

  • Hula hoops
  • A Moon Ball
  • Soft bean bags
  • An agility ladder
  • Frisbees
  • Water squirters
  • Jump ropes
  • Foam gliders or paper planes
  • Wiffle ball and bat
  • Kids’ gardening tools, like a small shovel
Top 6 Ways to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

2. Play Old-School Backyard Games

Those games we grew up playing are still fun!  Potato sacks, tug of war, obstacle course, and tag are all still great ways to enjoy the outdoors and spend quality family time together.  Go back to basics and show your kids how to play fun active games.

Top 6 Ways to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

3. Partner Up

Partner exercises are a great motivator for kids and a good way to get siblings and friends to exercise together with no equipment required.  Squats, planks, and bridges are a few of our favorites.  Give this one a try!

Back to Back Partner Squat: Grab a fit friend, stand back to back and link your arms on both sides.  Walk your feet out a few inches and simultaneously start to lower to 90 degrees and hold by pressing into one another.  If you’re up for a bigger challenge you can start from the ground up and see if you can get into squat position without coming unlinked!

Top 6 Ways to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

4. Test Your Flexibility

Kids are often so flexible! Do a kid-friendly yoga practice in your living room or outside to show them how good it feels to stretch their muscles. Use animals and shapes to challenge kids to show you how to make themselves into a tree, eagle, or triangle.

Top 6 Ways to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

5. Join Community Events

Kids can participate in local fitness challenges too! Check local race organizations for ‘Fun Runs’ and make it a family affair! This is a great opportunity to participate in an event together and you can even include your kids in your weekly training runs. Log your miles on a family training log for extra motivation.  There are also many easy to use apps & pedometers out there for you and your kids to get tracking.

Top 6 Ways to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

6. Walk the Walk (By Modeling Good Movement Habits)

Role modeling is one of the most influential tools we have and by showing children that exercise and good health can not only be fun but are also a priority for your family you can pass on the value of a healthy lifestyle.  If you have a positive attitude towards exercise, there is a good chance they will too. Go get ‘em!

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

Leave a Comment:
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

6 Comments

Really loved all the tips which you have shared to keep kids active. In this world of technology where kids prefer playing online or video games which indirectly have a bad impact on their overall growth. Activities like these will be so much helpful to keep kids away from technology to develop their physical as well as mental growth. Thanks for sharing such wonderful ways to make exercise for kids a lot more fun & interesting.