I live in the valley of the sun where it can top out around 120 degrees in the summer, so it can be challenging to keep the kids active throughout the summer. If it isn’t a pool or splash pad, the kids tend to start reaching for the remote. How do we keep our kids active when it’s too hot outside? There are tons of basic exercises like sit-ups, jumping jacks, or jump rope, but good luck getting your kids to do those.
Are you looking for a few more ideas to add to the arsenal of ways to keep your kids active during the summer?
 |  |
- High Five Jump– Have your kids trace their hand on a piece of paper then cut out the traced image. Put a piece of tape on the back side of the hand cutout. Have your child stand against the wall and reach as high as they can straight up in the air. Stick the hand cutout just above their reach. Have your child jump straight up and high five the hand print ten times. After ten jumps, slowly inch the hand print higher up the wall repeating the 10 jumps each time the hand print is moved. Once the hand print is out of reach, the game ends. Keep track of the highest jump to see if your child can jump higher the next time they play.
- Ski Jump– Create a winter scene in the room, by using paper and scissors to create snowflake cutouts. Hang the snowflakes from the ceilings or tape them around the walls. Have your child draw and color a snowman or winter themed picture. Place the picture on the floor and have the youth do ski jumps, by putting both feet together and jumping from side to side over the image. Set a time limit (30 seconds) or a number (10 jumps) to set personal goals. Have a frozen smoothie ready when the activity ends to maintain the winter theme.
- Super Hero Kenpo– Have your child make their favorite super hero mask, by coloring a mask on paper. Cut the mask out and use some yarn to secure the mask on the face. Kenpo moves can be done by using ball kicks by having the child get into a ready stance by standing with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, arms up with clenched fists. Child will pivot on one foot while kicking with the other. You can also include punching motions. Pretend like they are defeating the villain.
- Handball-Build a handball net using empty oatmeal containers, milk jugs or 2 liter bottles. Cut 3 or 4 pieces of yarn 5 feet in length. Tape each piece of yarn to each selected object so that each yarn string is about 6 inches apart. Set the created net on the ground. Use a rubber ball to hit the ball back and forth over the constructed net.
- Paper Airplane Target Throw– Make a couple of paper airplanes. Show your child a picture of a bull’s eye or target and have them draw one. Color the different bull’s eye rings different colors. Write different points on the bullseye rings. Have your child tape the bull’s eye on the wall. Ask them to stand a certain distance from the bull’s eye and throw the airplane at the target to earn points.
- Cootie Catcher Fitness– Help your child create a cootie catcher. Write various exercises like sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, plank, etc in the cootie catcher. Play the cootie catcher game with your child and do the exercises with your child.
- Paper Bag Cotton Ball Sprints– Find a hallway or room with some open space. Have your child decorate a paper bag. Place a pile of 10 cotton balls at one end of the room and the bag at the opposite end of the room. Have your child start next to the bag, go get a cotton ball, bring it back, and put it in the bag. Continue the sequence until all the cotton balls are in the bag. Set a timer to see how fast they can do it and do it a couple times to get their best time.
- Box car racer– Find a box that is big enough to fit around your child’s waste. Have them create a car by drawing parts of the car like wheels, doors, mirrors, bumper etc., then cutting them out and taping them to the box. Create a track around the room where they have to weave around various objects as fast as they can. See how long it takes them to do a designated amount of laps.
- Animal Spot Jump– Create various spots by cutting different shapes out of cardboard and color them red, yellow, blue, green. You could also use paper plates. Spread the spots out on the floor spaced out about a couple feet. Have them jump from spot to spot to get across the room using different animal jumps. A bunny takes small hops by jumping with feet close together, bouncing off toes. A kangaroo jumps with feet spaced about as wide as their shoulders and squats down to take a bigger jump. A frog jumps starting on all fours.
- Color Spot Jump– This is a variation of the animal spot jump by calling out certain colors to jump on to get across the room without falling off the spot.
- Soccer Dribble– Color crazy designs on 4 or 5 pieces of paper. Roll the papers into a funnel or cone shape and tape them. Set the cones up in a hallway or around a large room. Have your child practice dribbling a soccer ball around the cones.
