18 Fun Ways to Burn Calories With Your Kids
Does it feel like you have no time to exercise? If you’re like most parents, you are too busy to even think about going to the gym for a workout. But did you know that there are ways to burn calories with your kids at home or at a local park? You can combine important quality time with fun activity time to lose weight and get the whole family in shape.
How Burn Calories with Your Kids at Every Age
The best way to work out with your family depends primarily on the age of the child. Very young children won’t be able to bike or walk far enough for you to put a dent in your daily step count. And older kids won’t want to play games at the park. So choose activities that interest your kids based on their growth stage.
Young Children
Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners have tons of energy. Why not harness some of that gusto and put it to work to help you meet your fitness goals?
Outdoor Activities to Burn Calories
Mini playground workout: Take your kids to the local park and create a mini playground workout while the little ones swing, slide, and explore. Try full body movements like push-ups on the grass, step-ups on a picnic table, sprints around the playground equipment, pull-ups on the bars, squat jumps, or walking lunges.
Hopscotch. This traditional game is perfect for boosting cardiovascular power and improving balance and coordination.
Jog and bike. If your little one is able to ride a small bike with training wheels, take them for a spin while you jog alongside them. You’ll both burn mega-calories, and as your little one gets more proficient on the bike, your pace will be challenged as well.
Indoor Activities to Burn Calories
Smartphone workouts: Simply download a fun, kid-friendly fitness app and work out side by side. Try Super Stretch Yoga, Eat-And-Move-O-Matic, or 7 Minute Workouts with Lazy Monster.
Follow-the-leader Put your child in charge and encourage them to get creative. Hop like a kangaroo, run like a cheetah, or crawl like a bug. Putting them in charge of movement may challenge you to move your body in ways that you are not used to - which is great for your muscles!
Blanket fort obstacle course. Build a few blanket forts that you need to crawl under in an obstacle course fashion. Getting up and down from the floor can be a challenging way to use your muscles.
School-Aged Children
Kids between the ages of 7 and 13 are great fitness coaches because they like to be in charge. So take advantage of that bossy nature for your own gain.
Outdoor Activities to Burn Calories
Kid-in-charge gym class: Give the kids a whistle and have them teach you what they learned in physical education class at school. Having your kid be the “expert” may also give them a greater sense of confidence during PE time at school.
Tag: Have your kids organize a game of tag with you and neighbors or family members. Tag is a variation of high-intensity intervals, so playing the game regularly will get you fit in no time.
Sports-practice workout session: You can make use of your kids’ school activities to squeeze in a workout. Pack a gym bag and keep it in your car so you always have workout clothes available. Then, while you watch your child’s soccer practice or baseball game, climb the bleacher stairs or walk around the park to burn extra calories.
Indoor Activities to Burn Calories
Multi-level Hide and Seek. If your home has more than one level, use the stairs to get fit while you play hide and seek. Make the seeker wait downstairs while the hider finds a secret space upstairs. When it’s time, run up the stairs and find your kiddo. Climbing stairs is one of the best ways to raise your heart rate and build lower body muscles at the same time.
Balloon volleyball. Blow up a few balloons and take turns seeing how long you can keep them in the air.
YouTube workouts. Your child may already have a favorite YouTube influencer when it comes to fitness. Explore together and find an online workout that you can both do together. This is also a great way to start to explore the internet with your child in a way that is protected and safe.
Teens
When kids get older, your fitness plan starts to matter more – to you and to them. Studies have shown that kids are more likely to stay active and less likely to gain weight if their parents are active.(1) It also becomes easier to get less involved in your child’s life as they become independent. By exercising together, you can help maintain an important connection with them.
Also, as your kids get older, you get older, too. Your metabolismf slows with age. One of the best ways to boost your metabolism is with exercise.
Outdoor Activities to Burn Calories
Hike. Schedule a weekly session at a park that they choose.
Cycling. Invest in or rent bikes and go for a ride together.
Rollerblade, scooter, or rollerskate. Get on a set of wheels and see how far you can go! It’s a great way to build balance and burn calories at the same time.
Indoor Activities to Burn Calories
Dance. Take a hip-hop class with your kids or invest in a home gaming system and compete with your crew using games like JustDance, or Zumba.
Boxing. Explore virtual reality boxing with your teen to build upper body strength and agility. There are also many boxing video games that are available if a VR system is out of your reach.
Health club or gym machines. Once your child turns 14, most gyms will allow them on the fitness floor and in the weight room. This is a perfect time to teach them how to work out safely on machines and with free weights. Choose machines that burn the most calories to optimize your time.
Lastly, to make your program more successful, schedule family workouts just like you schedule all of your other important activities. When you add an exercise session to your calendar and post it in a place where everyone can see it, you send a message to the family that the workout is important. Then you get the benefits of burning calories with your kids and they get the benefit of spending fun, fitness-friendly time with mom.
Sources:
Erkelenz N, Kobel S, Kettner S, Drenowatz C, Steinacker JM; Research Group “Join the Healthy Boat – Primary School”. Parental Activity as Influence on Children`s BMI Percentiles and Physical Activity. J Sports Sci Med. 2014 Sep 1;13(3):645-50