“Oh, good,” I said. “Nothing on the calendar. We can do whatever we want this weekend!” My kids gave each other a look. “We could walk to the lake with our fishing rods. Or we could take a hike at the metro park.” Even though they don’t always want to go along with my ideas, whatever we do usually ends up being pretty fun. It may take some effort to get them going, but whenever we do, our family draws closer together, and we make good memories too. Active families like to get out and do things. Do you want your crew to be more active too? Let’s go!
Whether your goal is to move more or simply to sit less, we have some ideas to get your family moving. Check out our list of 11 activities for active families, and see how many you can cross off this month.
1. Walk to lunch (or brunch) and walk home.
If it’s possible, why not walk? Our town center is about a mile away, and everyone’s famished by the time we get to our destination. It’s a great opportunity to catch up on a week’s worth of happenings in your kids’ lives.
Walking is a great opportunity to catch up on a week’s worth of happenings in your kids’ lives.
2. Bike to church.
Empower your kids by showing them the bike route to church. It makes going to church an adventure and teaches kids they can get places using their own strength and muscle.
3. Use a paddle on the water.
If you’re in gator country, this may be more of an adventure than you’d like. But for others, paddling about and using your arms to move is an experience that everyone should try. But don’t expect to go fast. It’s tough, especially the first time, whether you’re canoeing, kayaking, or paddleboarding.
4. Spruce up the yard.
My kids have long griped about yardwork, but last fall, one of them said, “Hey, our yard looks pretty good.” Because we’d worked on it that summer as a family—trimming, weeding, cutting—we all felt some satisfaction with this revelation. The vitamin D and exercise were an added bonus.
5. Play basement games.
We keep our ping pong table in our basement. But I know a family who stores a table in the garage and rolls it out in good weather. Even if you assemble a net on the kitchen table and tap a ping pong ball back and forth, that counts in the category of what I call “basement games.” Other contenders are foosball, air hockey, and anything else too big to keep in a bedroom.
6. Walk to the nearest Little Library.
I love having a destination when I walk. And fortunately, we have several little book stands within a mile of our house. It’s fun to see what’s inside for the taking. Of course, I also like encouraging my kids to drop off books when we’re done. What goes around comes around.
7. Play backyard games.
Some libraries loan games like bocci ball, cornhole, and horseshoes. My favorite backyard game was badminton—until the net got caught in the wheels of the lawnmower. (Don’t ask.) Now my favorite is frisbee. Our dog can even play.
8. Make the driveway a place to play.
A couple summers ago, we jumped on the pickleball craze and bought a net for the driveway, along with paddles and balls. It’s a fun game, especially when the grandparents visit. What’s your family’s preference for the driveway—shooting hoops? Rollerblading?
9. Do a dog field trip.
We like taking our pooch different places to sniff and explore. And she always comes home ready for a nap. Now if only my kids would follow suit.
10. Play laser tag.
Before you say no, hear me out. I played laser tag at my daughter’s birthday party, and though I didn’t get a ton of steps in (to my surprise), I did do a lot of bending and crouching. In other words, I fired up my leg muscles, but hardly broke a sweat. Plus, it was SO MUCH FUN.
11. Explore a neighboring town on foot.
When you walk, you notice so much more. We recently visited a town about a half hour away and spotted interesting wall art along some narrow streets that we never would’ve seen by car. Seeing this little town up close made our world feel a little bigger. What town could you visit with your family?
Active families aren’t necessarily running marathons on the weekends but simply doing fun activities that get everyone moving. What does your family like to do?
