As a mother of three young children and a Physical Education teacher, I know the importance of making fitness fun for everyone. Children are energetic and intuitively curious to explore new ways to move their bodies.  They are not concerned about how many calories they’re burning or boasting about their fitness accomplishments. They simply move because they can, and it brings them joy! 

Adults can learn a thing or two from children about moving in freedom and appreciating what our bodies can do. In Matthew 18: 2-4, Jesus tells us that our faith must become child-like to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We must lay aside our pride and ego to humble ourselves before our Heavenly Father. I believe the same sentiment is true about our physical bodies: we wholeheartedly must believe that the One who created us will equip us to fulfill the race He has predestined for us.

“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'”

Matthew 18: 2-4, NIV

Fitness Activities by Age Groups

Check out the list of activities below to incorporate everyone into your next family workout:

2-5 years: 

Musical Rug: Invite young children to walk around a rug while playing music, then tell everyone to freeze in a silly pose when the music stops.

Hot Potato: This classic passing game is fun for all. Sit in a circle and quickly pass an object in the circle. Remember to freeze when the music stops.

Dance Songs: Help little ones improve their listening and gross motor skills with dance songs, i.e. ‘Hokey Pokey’, ‘Head Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ and ‘Shake Your Sillies Out.’

Make Homemade Instruments and Have a Parade Around Your Home: Half fill dry, empty water bottles with dry noodles, beads, and coins, seal tightly and let children shake them to make their own music. Plastic egg shakers also work great. A bonus idea is to add crepe paper streamers and balloons for more excitement.

6-9 years:

‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Cones’: Two partners face one another with a cone placed in the middle. The leader instructs each person to place two hands on their ‘head, shoulders or knees’. When the leader says ‘Cone’, the partners try to grab the cone first to win the round. Make the game more challenging by mixing up the order and tempo of the commands. For older children, you can incorporate fitness challenges into the game like completing 10 Jumping Jacks or jog 1 lap between rounds.

Bean Bag Balancing Games: Invite children to complete exercises while balancing a beanbag on different parts of their bodies (head, arm, shoulder, knee) i.e. hop on one foot, duck walks, bear crawls.) Younger children can dance to ‘Beanbag Boogie’.

Balloon Relay Races: Inflate balloons, place them between your knees and try hopping around the room. Another option is to make paper plate rackets and play ‘Balloon Tennis’ with the balloons. For younger children, balloons make good choices to practice tossing, catching and kicking.

Flashlight Walks: This is one of my family’s favorites! At dusk, everyone goes on a walk around the neighborhood holding flashlights and try shining your light on frogs or stop signs or whatever thing you all enjoy finding together.

10+ years:

Revelation Wellness Family Workouts: Short interval workouts like ‘Train the Name’ with Alisa and her daughter are excellent tools to help children stay active and build endurance. If you subscribe to RevWell TV, you can also watch “Tammy’s Livestream Workout: Power of the Word.”

Kickball and Four Square: Classic playground games for everyone and they only require one bouncy ball and open space like a basketball court or tennis square.

Scavenger Hunts: Invite the entire family on a scavenger hunt around your home or outdoors. Only use picture clues for non-readers and written clues for readers.

Fitness Alphabet Games: Write out the entire alphabet then assign an exercise to each letter. For example, A-10 Jumping Jacks, B-10 Push-ups, C-10 Squats, etc.

Tips to Remember When Inviting Children to Play: 

• Games should be age-appropriate.
• Keep instructions concise because children’s attention spans are short, and they are excited to begin playing.
• Try to be as inclusive as possible when choosing activities- no one likes sitting on the sideline for too long.
• Children become overheated quicker than adults, so remember to take frequent water breaks.
• Stay positive because it’s just a game.
• There’s tremendous power in modeling fitness to children. They learn from us how to care for themselves!

In the comments below, share how you and your family stay active together! 

Talancia (Tee) Pea is a certified Revelation Wellness Instructor (Platoon 17), NASM Personal Trainer and part-time Physical Education teacher. She’s currently training to hike the Grand Canyon from Rim to Him in October 2019. She’s been married to Corey for 12 years and together they have three children: Corey Jr. 9, Gracie 7, and Jeslyn 3. Learn more about how Tee is creating an inclusive fitness community at www.every1moves.com.

Thank you for reading this week’s RevTip on the Revelation Wellness Blog! Have you been impacted by this ministry? Do you want to give back to spread the gospel to the nations? Consider partnering with us on mission as a monthly partner. Learn more about the impact of your donation and how to donate HERE.