When I worked in New York City I probably walked 4 or 5 miles a day. When I moved to Wichita I at least had to walk to the car to get to my job. Now that I work at home, my commute is about 4 feet, so my walking has dramatically declined, and my rear end has dramatically increased.
It’s important to get not only ourselves moving, but our kids too. I have found that including quick fun activities that get me moving with my kiddo helps me stay clear and focused, gets her moving a bit, and helps create a foundation of knowing that movement is important in our lives.
Here’s some ways you can get moving with your kids, even in the middle of a very busy work day.
- Turn on a really fast song ~ one that makes you feel good. Boogie down with your kiddo. See if you and they can keep moving for the whole song. (4 minutes of fast boogie can feel really long!)
- Go on an imaginary walking trip (through the house) imagine you’re walking through woods, through a river, through quick sand… gives you a chance to talk about those places, as well as walk like you were there.
- Use a laundry basket and some crumpled up recycling… paper is probably best, and shoot some hoops. Try from close up, and far away. This can be a fun way to get kids participating in folding laundry as well. 😉
- Play the “Add on” game. Start with one simple movement, let your kids copy you, then add another and another. Make the movements big so you really get moving. (ex. marching, jumping jacks, hopping, jumping)
- Play the pattern game. Much like add on, but you do a pattern until your kiddo gets what it is. Maybe stomp stomp jump, stomp stomp jump. As you do it your kid will get the hang of it and start doing the pattern as well.
As you can see there are some pretty quick and easy ways for you to get moving with your little ones. They can be more than that though… they get you moving, they get you up and away from your desk (yeah, breaks are good!), they get you interacting with your kiddo through the day (and that tends to lead to better playing alone has been my experience). All good stuff.
If you’d like more simple activities like these there is a Get Moving Today calendar over at the Head Start website. They have an archive of all the calendars for the last few years… you can print it out and do the activity of the day. (That way you don’t have to dream up all these fun little activities yourself).
I’d love to hear what quick and easy things you do to get you and your kids moving through the day! Feel free to share in the comments below.
