It is important to stay active year round, but on those snowy days when it is too cold to head outside, it’s easy to come down with a bad case of cabin fever. February is American Hearth Month, so use these activities to keep your kids active, heart healthy, and happy inside, at least for a little while.
Try Some Yoga – Have kids spread out on the carpet or if you have some mats available for use, even better. Do some fun animal and nature-themed yoga poses together, like the cat and cow, downward-facing dog, butterfly pose, tree pose, and cobra.
Build A Fort – If your kids love the building game Minecraft, turn that enthusiasm into crafting a fort. Use cardboard boxes, sheets and blankets to create an underwater cave, a magical castle, or an impenetrable fort. Let their imaginations run wild.
Charades – Write the names of some animals on scrap pieces of paper for younger kids to act out. Encourage them to not use sounds for more of a challenge.
Indoor H-O-R-S-E – If shooting baskets is your kids’ thing, move the action indoors. Roll up a clean sock for the basketball and use a large bowl or empty waste can for the basket. Players can get creative with the ways they get the sock into the “basket,” and can move the bowl or can to different locations. Maybe a roll across the bed, off the dresser, and into the basket is how you stump the other player to win. If you are unfamiliar with traditional H-O-R-S-E, here are the rules. One player shoots a basket. If he or she makes it, the other players have to attempt the shot from the same location in the same manner. If they miss the shot they get a letter, first H, then O, and so on. The first player to get HORSE is out.
Togetherness Challenges – Grab a beach ball or blow up a balloon and place it between two kids. They should not hold the ball/balloon with their hands or arms. Ask the kids to walk across the room without losing control of the ball/balloon. If you want to add some difficulty, add more kids to the line.
Have two kids sit on the floor with their backs to each other and link arms. Ask them to try and get up by leaning and pulling on each other. They must keep their arms linked until they are both standing.