There are so many wonderful things you can do with your family that don't require a great deal of equipment or planning. One great way to get active is to take a daily walk together, whether it's walking the dog, or going on a scavenger hunt searching for flowers or wildlife, walking is a great way to improve your physical and emotional health.
Also, don't be afraid to go for a walk when it's raining or a bit blustery. Puddles and rivers of running leaves and twigs provide great entertainment for little ones and the wind on your face is an excellent source of sensory input that can help ease feelings of anxiety, tension and are excellent therapy for other sensory needs.
Below is a list of fun, low maintenance ideas for keeping kids busy and developing a variety of skills, including Fine and Gross Motor to Motor Planning and Visual Perceptual. You may not have known that there were so many kinds of physical fitness, but check out this fun list of every day activities that are developmentally beneficial for kids!
Can't get outside? No problem. Here are ideas to keep kids moving on rainy days! (For Early Childhood and Lower School) or Build your own workout! with this fun worksheet full of at-home fitness ideas!
Moose on the Loose - 10 minute indoor recess |
Ultimate Champ with Coach - 8 minute indoor recess |
KidsBop Dance - 34 minutes of dancing fun |
Cat Party - Just 3 minutes, but a huge crowd favorite |
After we burn off some energy with the above videos, we use the following videos to calm down and work on our mindfulness skills:
Rainbow Breaths |
Rainbow Yoga |
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems - Great indoor fine motor art activity with a famous writer and artist, who most kids will know from the Piggy and Gerald series of books! |
Write a letter to a friend, family member.
Keep a journal of what they do each day. This can be written or typed in a computer or phone document. Younger children can do a visual journal where they draw pictures of things they did that day. You can also make quick books by cutting paper in half and stapling the sides so children can draw pictures (and even write notes) about each thing they did that day.
Have your child help write or type a list of chores to complete each day or make a grocery list.
Practice typing by emailing a friend or family member.
Play board or matching games - great for fine motor!
Card games: UNO, BLINK and Go Fish are some favorites. Have your child shuffle and deal the cards. Younger children can match like or numbers. You can also play Memory games using a standard deck of cards.
Play dough: You can find all kinds of recipes on the internet for playdough if you don’t have any at home. Students can pinch, push, roll the dough. They can also practice utensil use by cutting play dough into bite sized pieces.
Play with LEGOs. Use LEGOs to make a design and then have your child duplicate your design. This type of activity works on fine motor skills as well. younger students can use LEGO DUPLO or blocks.
Put together puzzles.
Memory games - If you don't have memory games you can use standard deck of cards.
Cutting ave your child look through a magazine or paper and cut out certain letters. (Ex: look for all the letter ‘a’ and then cut them out). Have your child glue them onto a piece of paper.
Simon Says
Obstacle Courses (inside or outside)
Scavenger Hunts (indoors or outdoors). There are so many trees and flowers beginning to bloom. Walk around your neighborhood and see how many you can find. (Pinterest has great scavenger hunt printables)
Cooking - have your child help you with making lunch or dinner. These tasks work on a multitude of skills, including executive functioning, following directions, gathering supplies, fine motor, visual perceptual, and more!
Laundry - Sensory, proprioceptive input, heavy work, direction following.
Raking leaves - Sensory, heavy work.
Gardening - Digging, planting, pulling weeds, looking for worms and rocks; all incorporate important motor function skills. Sensory, proprioceptive input, heavy work, direction following.
www.gonoodle.com - Great for crossing midline, motor planning, strengthening and endurance. Some favorites are Melting Down, Banana Banana Meatball, Pop See Ko, Milkshake, Dinosaur Stomp, all of the Brainercise or Mr. Catman videos.
www.yourtherapysource.com - Many free activities on this site. They are also separated into categories such as fine motor, visual motor, etc.
www.pinterest.com - Can give some great home ideas that are individualized to your family's environment and supplies.
www.youtube.com - endless videos for yoga, how-tos, simple recipes, auditory games, songs and movement, and more!
justdancenow.com - Turn any TV into the popular video game, Just Dance, and use your smartphone as a controller. Compete against people all around the world, against yourself or with your family. It's an instant dance party!
www.dancemattypingguide.com - Touch typing practice.
www.yogawithadriene.com - Yoga for all levels of practice and for all needs, such as managing anxiety, strength, or flexibility.
www.homecourt.com - For older athletes practicing specific sports.
Nike Training Club App - Currently FREE! With over 185+ workouts for any level from beginner to advanced.
Indoor Games - Fun, creative games for rainy days
Beach Body Workouts for Kids