Youth Exercises

Physical Fitness BINGO. As simple to play as the original version. A line down, up, across, or diagonal wins (middle square is a freebie), but this game comes with a little twist: each box includes a specific workout move that has to be completed in order to cover that square. You will need at least two people to play, and one person should be designated BINGO caller and checker.

This is a fun game for anyone to play, and it is great because it can be played anywhere. On this post, there are four different boards that can be used for a game. Make it a challenge in your house, or something to get you up and out of your seats.

Here, we're playing for rice crispy treats, and who gets to choose what's for dinner tonight. Happy playing!

Today's virtual activity is a cross between everyone's two favorite games: Hopscotch and Twister. It will help us get our heart rates up, as well as work on flexibility.

Today we will play: Hands and Feet Hopscotch!

Materials Needed:

1. 12-15 pieces of paper, depending how long you want your board to be (computer paper or loose leaf will work, but construction paper adds some color so choice )

2. Strong tape

3. Coloring utensils

Begin by drawing hand and feet prints on the papers. It's helpful to have about the same amount of hands and feet, but you can make it as challenging as you want.

Set your hand and feet prints up in rows of three - you can have two feet prints and one hand print, two hands and one foot, the layout is up to you.

Once your board is set up, tape your papers to the ground in order to make sure they stay put while your players are jumping. You are now ready to play.

Starting at one end, the player will move through the board just like hopscotch. Depending on which papers the player lands on, they will have to touch either their feet, hands or combination of both to move on to the next row.

First player that messes up the sequence, or falls/ missteps is out. You can also make this a timed event if a lot of people are playing.

How fast can you make it through your board? Happy hopping!

This is a great family game. Easy to set up, easy to clean up - a parents dream!

All you need is a roll of party streamers and tape that is safe to stick to the wall.

Arrange the streamers in an obstacle course fashion - straight from a spy movie.

You can make it into a competition of "who can make it through without breaking or un-sticking any streamers"

This is an activity that will get your heart rate up, as well as working on your flexibility!

How difficult can you make your obstacle course?

For today's activity, we want to get up and get moving outside (although, it is totally acceptable to play this one inside as well).

Balloon volleyball is a crowd favorite, gets your blood pumping, stretches your muscles, and you can play it with any number of people.

Set up your volleyball "net" by setting up a line of chairs, or string, or just about anything (you can use your creativity there, just so there is something visible dividing your two "courts")

Blow up a few balloons - so you have some on reserve in case of accidental popping - pick your teams, and you are ready to go.

You can make it into a family exhibition match, and create rules to make it more difficult. Play a round sitting down, on your hands and knees, only using one arm/foot etc.

May the wind be ever in your favor!

YOGA VIDEO CLICK HERE

Something that we might not think about often, but is so important to any physical activity, is getting warmed up beforehand.

Warm-ups prepare our bodies for exercises and activities by gradually increasing the heart rate and blood circulation. This will loosen the joints and increase blood flow to the muscles. Stretching the muscles prevents injuries and promotes flexibility.

Here is a chart of some of our favorite warm-ups that many of our coaches use during our sports seasons.

Begin your warm-up with a 3-5 minute walk, complete all the moves on the chart, and you are ready to move on to whatever activity you want to do

What other moves do you like to do to get warmed up? Have a great weekend, everyone!

Here is a quick and easy game to get our heart rates up, while embracing our inner animals. We are going to do some Animal Walks:

To play, someone will need to be the 'caller,' who tells the players what animal walk will come next. You can make it into a race where the players are timed, you can make it into a competition where the best walks are rated, the possibilities are endless!

Animal walks are a great way to work on flexibility, fine motor skills, and also a great way to get cardio into your daily routine. We have included a chart of some of the most common animal walks and how to do them, and here are some other examples:

1. Elephant walk: put your arms together out in front of your body and swing your new "trunk" from side to side while stomping your feet.

2. One-legged Flamingo hops: stand on one leg, hop, and then land one-legged on the opposite leg.

3. Donkey Kicks: start by getting on all fours. Then simply kick your legs out and up. (For a fun challenge, stack some pillows or cardboard boxes and use your donkey kicks to knock them over).

4. Duck waddle: squat, tuck your hands into your armpits to make "duck wings," and flap your arms as you walk.

5. Seal slide: lay on your tummy, push your hands up until your arms are straight, and move across the floor while dragging your legs.

Can you think of any other animal walks to keep us active?