House Bound PE

An unsung part of our homeschool time is physical education.  Honestly, I forget about it ALL the time.  Mostly because my kiddoes spend so much time running around that it seems a little silly to worry about whether they are getting enough physical activity.  But there are definitely times when we need a little something extra to get us all moving, especially when the weather makes it difficult to get outside where we're used to running off our energy.  Since we live in the great white north, we have a lot more days that are too cold than days that are too hot, but both are equally tough on outdoor-just-being-kids-and-running-yourselves-silly time.  For days like these, we do employ some useful alternatives.

My newest favorite is a youtube channel I recently found: Cosmic Kids Yoga.  They have a variety of "adventures" that the kiddoes take part in, with corresponding child friendly yoga positions.  My kiddoes have really had a lot of fun with the cheery instructor and the fun and sometimes funny actions.  The number of videos is quite limited at the moment, but my kiddoes ask to do each one again and again, so we have really been able to get a lot of use out of it.  This makes an excellent rainy (or snowy) day activity to get the body and the imagination moving.

Another great resource for our in-house PE is our Nintendo Wii (we actually upgraded to the WiiU earlier this year).  Mr. Crazy and I have been so impressed with this game system over the years and have really enjoyed it for a way for the kiddoes to be able to enjoy video games and keep active.  Some of our favorite titles for active time include: WiiFit, Just Dance, and Sports Resort.  Almost any games that involve a degree of movement will work well, though, since I've found that when you start the kids moving around, they often continue without the need for a "game."

My single favorite resource for active time in inclement weather is the radio.  Turn on some lively music and tell the kiddoes to get up and dance!  My kiddoes love dancing, so it takes no encouragement to get them to bop to the beat.  After a few minutes of the radio turning on, they will all cluster in the living room and start making up their own dances-- even if they started out at the opposite corner of the house.

One day, I will need to be more intentional (and work a little harder) to get my children to keep up their physical activity during the days.  But for now, I love our simple methods.  I continually find that the simple ideas are the ones that work.  Young children really have the desire to be active, so it just takes a tiny spark to get them moving.

Use painter's tape to make a hopscotch game on the floor; have a race to see who can get to the mailbox first; grab a laundry basket and ball to shoot some hoops.  Every little bit helps and leads along the path to a healthier, happier family.

--Little Miss Crazy