Indoor Physical Activities for Students in Grades 6-12
When lessons are over for the day, what does your child do? Watch TV or play video games? Catch up on some reading? Browse the Internet? During the middle of winter, chances are your student is stuck indoors doing one of these activities.
According to Let’s Move, a health program started by the First Lady to fight child obesity, children and teens need to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. To get your child more active during the week, encourage him or her to try some indoor physical activities. Indoor activities offer a great way to get exercise and stay healthy while having fun with friends and family members.
Work Out with Videos Online
It’s easy to take a jog or play sports outside when the weather is warm, but it’s just as easy to do workouts at home in any kind of weather—it only takes a little planning. On YouTube, you can find a variety of exercise and fitness channels that offer free workouts suitable for students in grades 6–12. Check out some of these channels to find workouts that your student likes.
- FitnessBlender.com offers videos ranging from a few minutes to half an hour long on cardio kickboxing, toning the lower back, high-intensity interval training, and more
- SparkPeople is a great resource for ab/core workouts and boot-camp-style videos
- Exercise Routine has videos for Pilates, endurance, toning, and jump workouts
- eHowFitness offers leg, upper body, ab, glute, and toning exercises
When you exercise along with a video on the computer, make sure you have plenty of space to complete the moves. Some of the things that can be helpful to have while you work out are a water bottle, workout mat, weights, balance ball, and stretch cords.
Choreograph Your Own Dance
Students who love music and want to exercise their creativity can try choreographing their own dance. Follow these steps to create a unique dance routine.
- Pick a favorite song. Try to choose one in which it’s easy to pick out an eight-count beat.
- Choose your dance style:
- Pop/rock/hip-hop
- Country/line dance
- Salsa
- Zumba
- Etc.
- Create steps by doing research to find cool dance move ideas. Some good places to look include:
- Workout videos
- Popular dances like the Cupid Shuffle, Macarena, or Electric Slide
- Moves from your favorite dancers and/or music videos
- Dance video games
- Friends or family members who are good dancers
Don’t forget to write down the sequence of moves and how many beats each move takes.
- Practice, practice, practice (repetition is key)!
- Teach your new dance to family or friends.
- Consider doing your dance for an audience.
Go on Indoor Active Field Trips
Indoor field trips offer students a great opportunity to get out of the house while still getting active indoors. You can go on these “field trips” as a family or ask your student to invite a group of friends, including fellow online students who live near you.
Here are some indoor field trip activities you can try:
- Bowling
- Roller skating
- Ice skating
- Laser tag
- Batting cages
- Indoor swimming pool
- Indoor golf
You might also want to consider signing your student up for martial arts, swimming lessons, dance class, or another type of weekly activity.
If you can gather a large group of kids, take them to a local YMCA or community gym. Some great group games they can play include:
- Kickball
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Handball
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Relay races
What are some other ways that your student gets exercise indoors during the winter? Let us know your ideas!
