Finding time to exercise is a challenge in itself. Sometimes you may want to exercise by yourself so you can have that much needed alone time. These ideas are for the times you want to exercise and have a laugh. Playing with your children is not only fabulous for your children’s physical and mental development but it also keeps your relationship with your children strong, exciting and it will increase the bonds you have together. I find the best times to play are when the house goes into utterly angry chaos and the whining and yelling is too much to handle. This chaos I speak of is what inspired me to post this blog! Check out these fun activities to do with your family.
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PLAY A SPORT WITH YOUR CHILD
The best bonding time can come just by teaching your child a sport you love or have always wanted to play. You could also pick a new sport and learn to play it together. Make it fun and exciting for both of you. Your child will love learning from you and remember the times you played with him or her. Seriously, pick any sport!
Photo by manu mangalassery from Pexels Thank you Manu!
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SWIMMING
My children and I love swimming. They love jumping into the pool, splashing in the water and cuddling mummy and daddy. They love playing games and they love the time with us. This is a great way to get very energetic kids to expel that energy and it helps everyone sleep better as well. I don't know many people who feel badly after a good play in the water.
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HIDE AND SEEK
This is a great game to play during the winter months when those days are so short and depressing. We add torches (flashlights) to our game and split up into teams. I like to go into soldier mode and bring one of my children with me. We may leave a flashlight somewhere where the other team will think we are and then hide in another place. We also like to move from one hiding place to another while we are waiting to be found. My kids love Hide and Seek but it is amazing with torches (flashlights).
BIKE RIDES
This one can be tricky if you don't have very good roads to bike down. We try to take the kids' bikes in the back of the car and then either take our bikes or rent them at whichever park we go to that day. Sometimes you can find woods or parks that have bike paths you can take and sometimes they even have an off road track you can use.
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A GOOD GAME OF TIG (TAG) or Stuck in the Mud (Freeze Tag)
We all love Tag in our family. My children like being chased as well as chasing us. It is one of the most fun activities we do as a family. My kids have trouble staying frozen but we have so much fun playing these games. You could add water balloons to the mix (if you are playing outdoors of course) and the person that is 'it' can launch them at everyone. Be creative and remember you should hear laughing not crying.
GOING ON WALKS OR RUNS TOGETHER
Sometimes I have the children go with me on a run but it isn't usually a long run and we may even interval walk and jog. I will ask them to see how far they can run or I will ask my youngest to show me how he runs and jumps. We do it together but it is fun for the children to see mummy and daddy acting silly and playing with them. Put your pride aside when playing with children, it's supposed to be fun. This is also a good way to get them to hurry without actually having to tell them to hurry up.
YOGA OR STRETCHING
We use this one when mummy or daddy is getting stressed out. My friend gave us some yoga cards that show you pictures and explain how to do the poses. We will pick 5-6 poses together and have the children try them with us. It changes bad moods into good moods. Just remember to show your children the poses first and then have them try each pose up to 3 or 4 times. These cards are great because they have partner poses as well as individual poses. The cards are called Yoga Pretzels and you can get them on Amazon (see link below):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=yoga+pretzels+cards&sprefix=yoga+pre%2Caps%2C200&crid=N8OBNBMDUDH7
PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
I love playground equipment. You have monkey bars, giant structures you can climb over, rock climbing walls, steps, slides, swings and so on. Why not have races with your children around the playground equipment or do some exercises on your own as they play. You could do press-ups on a bench, pull yourself up onto the play equipment, jog around the park while watching the children play. The possibilities are endless and the bonus is that you can see and protect them while getting a work out and IT’S FREE.
All the activities listed above will keep your bonds with your children. You become an integral part of the happiest moments of their childhoods and they will never forget the fun adventures you went on together. These activities can also bring you closer together when you are feeling an unhealthy separation. Yoga has been great for us when we are all getting fed up with life in general because it is like hitting the start over button. We end up much happier than when we started. Good luck and have fun finding more creative games you can play with your children to help bring you closer together as a family.
