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The Fit Family proudly presents your daily guide to keeping your family active all month long. The entries listed below require minimal equipment, and can be enjoyed by almost everybody. By being active as a family, you’re developing healthier bodies while forging stronger family bonds.
How to Use This List
You can:
- Commit as a family to doing one activity from the list most days of the month.
- Use it more like a game. If you’re feeling creative, print the activities presented here, then cut and paste each one onto a 3 x 5 card. Your kids can decorate them too. Take turns picking a random card from the pile, then do the activity as a family.
- Refer to it the next time your kids give you the proverbial, “We’re bored.”
Day 1 Take a nature hike. Collect interesting leaves and rocks.
Day 2 Play a game of Wiffle Ball or kick ball. Invite the neighbors to round out the teams.
Day 3 Dig, rake, and plant in the garden or yard. Pull weeds and see who can make the biggest pile.
Day 4 Go to a driving range or play miniature golf.
Day 5 Map out a route in your neighborhood, then walk or bike it.
Day 6 Have a hula hoop marathon.
Day 7 Play as many types of “Tag” as you know. Try freeze tag, tunnel tag, TV tag, etc.
Day 8 Use sidewalk chalk to play hopscotch outside. Turn it into a family tournament. Draw more than one hopscotch so family members don’t have to wait too long between turns.
Day 9 Take the family dog someplace new for a walk.
Day 10 Make a list of 20 things around the house and yard—like a bucket, a specific flower, a shoe, etc. Send everyone on a scavenger hunt. Tell them to run around and see how quickly they can collect all the items.
Day 11 Use a local volleyball court to play a game of Prisoner. The rules are simple and appropriate for kids of all ages. You can learn how to play by doing a search on-line.
Day 12 Wash the car. Bring a boom box outside and blast the family’s favorite tunes to make it more fun. “Car Wash” from the Shark Tale soundtrack is always a good choice.
Day 13 Walk or bike to the nearest playground. Challenge all the family members (adults included!) to test their skills at climbing, swinging, balancing, and hanging.
Day 14 Gather as many different-shaped balls as you can find around the house and garage. Play “Monkey in the Middle” using different balls.
Day 15 Go swimming at the nearest pool, lake or beach.
Day 16 Play “Boot Camp” in the backyard. Take turn being the drill sergeant. The sergeant leads the cadets in a series of calisthenics.
Day 17 Run relay races.
Day 18 Use a king-size bed sheet to play parachute games. Do a search on-line for suggestions.
Day 19 Play “Simon Says.”
Day 20 Build an obstacle course in the backyard.
Day 21 Walk or bike to the nearest elementary school playground. Use a red playground ball to play handball.
Day 22 Search the yard for heavy rocks that can fit into the palms of your hands. Use them as weights. Take turns leading the group in exercises like bicep curls and shoulder presses.
Day 23 Go to an open field and throw around a Frisbee. To keep everyone moving, bring along a few Frisbees.
Day 24 Jump rope. Practice going backwards and other tricks. See if you can remember some of the old rhymes you used to chant while jumping rope.
Day 25 Head to a basketball court and play games of H.O.R.S.E. and Around the World.
Day 26 Use a stopwatch and time each other running sprints. Encourage self-competition by challenging your kids to beat their own record.
Day 27 Tuck a ribbon or slip of crepe paper into the waistband of everyone’s shorts and play flag football.
Day 28 Have a squirt gun or squirt bottle battle.
Day 29 Explore a state park or historical site.
Day 30 Go crazy with bubbles. Search the web for homemade bubble recipes. Pour the solution into tubs in the backyard. Use large wands to see who can produce the biggest bubbles. Chase them and pop them!
Day 31 Free choice day—Be creative and get active!
