goodtomove is a new initiative to help you motivate your kids to move more and have fun exercising. We've got 30 fun activities to help get them off the sofa!
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goodtomove is a new initiative to help you motivate your kids to move more and have fun exercising. A new study revealed that just 15 minutes of exercise a day will prolong life and result in huge health benefits. Motivating kids can sometimes be tough so here are our 30 fun activities to help!
goodtomove tip No.1: Roller skating
Roller skating burns 500-600 calories an hour, the same amount as running. Make sure they have a helmet, knee pads and wrist guards. As your kids get older they could also try inline skating, but consider their coordination and strength before you commit to this as it's a little trickier. Skates are £13 upwards.
goodtomove tip: Roller skating is great for improving balancing skills
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 150
goodtomove tip No.2: Learn to juggle
Juggling is a great skill for your child to learn, and an enjoyable party trick to share with their friends. Concentration levels will improve and self confidence will be boosted once mastered. How to juggle: Take 3 balls A, B and C. Put balls A and B in your left hand and ball C in your right hand. Throw ball A up and over to your right hand. Just before the ball reaches its highest point throw ball C in the air from the right side to the left. After a few hours your child will have mastered the skill. There are lots of videos online to help them out too, have a look on YouTube. You can burn around 280 calories an hour, that's about the same as walking at a moderate pace.
goodtomove tip: Balls start from as little as a £1, or you could just use fruit!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 70
goodtomove tip No.3: Dance like Diversity
We all watched Diversity win Britain's Got Talent and many of our kids love imitating their moves. Why not turn an afternoon into a dance class and get your kids to watch videos of their fave pop stars or dance troupes online whilst copying their moves. Dancing can burn around 600 calories.
goodtomove tip: Get the kids to put on a dance show, you could rate them in stars just like the show itself!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 150
goodtomove tip No.4: Wii Fit
If you're lucky enough to have a Wii Fit in the house don't let it sit there gathering dust. We all know kids love computer games so it's a great way to get them moving more by using the Wii. Virtual tennis will burn around 340 calories an hour! A Wii Fit costs around £70.
goodtomove tip: Get the whole family involved in a game of zumba, you're bound to have a giggle!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 85
goodtomove tip No.5: Limbo
Use an object in the house to limbo under, perhaps a broom, and get all of the family to limbo under it. The winner is the one who can limbo the lowest. Doing the limbo will burn around 150 calories every 30 mins and is a free way to exercise and have a giggle.
goodtomove tip: Play some of your favourite tunes whilst chanting other family members on, you'll be in stitches!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.6: Hula hooping
Hula hooping is cheap, fun and versatile as it can be done indoors or outdoors - whatever the weather. To make hula hooping more interesting, time your kids and record how long they can hula for. Pick up a hula hoop from Toys R Us or your local supermarket for around £10. Hula hooping will burn a massive 400-600 calories an hour!
goodtomove tip: Get your kids to time you too, they'll love seeing mum vs dad in a hula-off!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 150
goodtomove tip No.7: Trampolining
If you've got the space in your back garden, trampolining can be a fantastic way to get the kids to exercise without realising. NASA has even said it's better than running for getting your heart rate up! Most local leisure centres run classes so your kids can perfect their moves. Trampolines start from around £100. Trampolining will burn around 450 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: Get the kids to work on a routine so they can show all the family their skills!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 112
goodtomove tip No.8: Space hopping
Space hoppers have never lost there appeal with kids and will keep them entertained for hours. Space hopping will burn around 240 calories per hour and will cost around £11 upwards.
goodtomove tip: Set up a mini challenge in the garden with cones, time the whole family and see who can do it the quickest. Kids will love seeing dad make a fool of himself!
Calories burnt in 15mins: 60
goodtomove tip No.9: Skateboarding
Skateboarding can burn around 250 calories an hour and many kids enjoy getting their skateboards out and feeling the freedom and thrill of going quite fast. Prices start from £12 upwards.
goodtomove tip: Make sure the kids wear protective gear, despite them wanting to look 'cool' it's important they stay safe.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 62
goodtomove tip No.10: Go Ape
Go Ape is a great day out for all of the family, from the monkey swing to action packed assault courses you will have a fantastic day. Prices start from £20 per child for 3 hours of fun! For your local Go Ape have a look here. This adventure playground will challenge your child's inner dare devil.
goodtomove tip: Bag yourself a FREE family ticket worth £100 by entering our competition here!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: Around 150 depending on the activity
goodtomove tip No.11: Boules
Boules works best if you have two teams. The teams can be as small as one person per team. You can buy boules sets from Toys R Us and some supermarkets. The aim of the game is to get your balls as close to the jack as possible. You can choose a different coloured ball to be the jack or an apple if you're using fruit. Boules will burn around 250 calories per hour and you can buy sets of skittles from as little as £5 from Home & Bargain or your local supermarket.
goodtomove tip: Use piece of fruit that are past their best if you don't have a boules set.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 62
goodtomove tip No.12: Catch
Getting the whole family in a circle and playing catch will be fun, go as fast as you can. Throw it quickly and shout the name of the next person who should catch it. Don't go around in a clockwise circle instead throw it randomly, it will make it more exciting and keep everyone alert. If someone drops it they have to sit down, the last person standing is the winner. Playing catch will burn around 250 calories an hour.
goodtmove tip: Treat the ball like a hot potato, it will make things more speedy and fun.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 62
goodtomove tip No.13: Football skills
Spend time indoors or out perfecting some footie skills. For inspiration use this link, there are some good tutorials and videos for the kids. They'll love learning a new skill they can show their school friends. Football skills will burn around 400-500 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: Keepy-uppy is a favourite footie skill, and once mastered will look impressive.
Calories burnt in 15mins: 125
goodtomove tip No.14: Fruit picking
Why not find a local place to go fruit picking there are many pick your own fruit farms to choose from. The kids will enjoy picking the fruit and not realise how far they are walking and how much exercise they are getting with all the reaching and bending down. Fruit picking will burn around 200 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: Add the fruit you've picked to porridge for breakfast, the fruit will be more appealing to the kids as they picked it themselves.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 50
goodtomove tip No.15: Gymnastics
Gymnastics can be challenging and rewarding for kids. Encourage them to try headstands, handstands, forward rolls, jumps, the crab and cartwheels. If they have a friend over to stay it's a good way to keep them entertained for free! Gymnastics will burn around 350 calories per hour.
goodtomove tip: Get them to perform a routine for you, they'll love doing it to their favourite song.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 87
goodtomove tip No.16: Circus skills
Circus skills not only get your child to move more but will also instill many other skills, including; social and personal development, self-esteem, self-awareness, creative thinking, enthusiasm and help boost their self confidence.
goodtomove tip: Shooting Stars Circus run nationwide workshops, and prices vary so check the website or call to find out more. Circus skills will burn around 300 calories an hour depending on what skills you take part in.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.17: Skiing
Dry slope skiing can burn around 300-400 calories an hour. Kids will enjoy learning a new skill and as skiing is often very expensive, skiing on a dry slope is the next best thing. See our list of dry ski slopes in the UK to choose one near you.
goodtomove tip: Prices start from as little at £10 per child, per hour and that includes ski hire most of the time.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 100
goodtomove tip No.18: Horse riding
Horse riding is a great way to exercise as you can burn between 300-400 calories an hour! Kids will enjoy having a new hobby and learning about the horses too. Check out our full list of riding schools in the UK.
goodtomovetip: Get some books about horses and teach the kids all about them
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 100
goodtomove tip No.19: Go fly a kite
If it's a windy day the kids will love flying a kite, all the running around and chasing the kite can burn around 300 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: Prices start from as little as £5 and will provide hours of fun!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.20: Miniature golf
Miniature golf can keep them entertained for a few hours, walking around the course will get their heart rate up and they'll feel great satisfaction when they get the ball in. Walking around for 40mins could burn around 200 calories and they won't even realise they're exercising.
goodtomove tip: Once the kids get a taste for miniature golf, let them be your caddy!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 100
goodtomove tip No.21: Ice skating
Dancing On Ice is a popular TV show with adults and children, so it could be worth giving ice skating with the kids a try at your local ice rink. They'll also be able to burn around 600 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: Once the kids gain confidence, encourage them to learn how to skate backwards, they'll love the challenge and sense of achievement.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 150
goodtomove tip No.22: Family Olympics
Why not devise your own Family Olympics and get the whole rabble involved. The long jump is a good one to start off with. Use a household object, like a broom to mark where you'll be jumping from then get each family member to run up to the mark and jump as far as they can. Record the distances and see who wins. You could also do hurdles and a sack race. Everyone will love the challenge and it will seem a lot less like exercise than a session down the gym. Find out which family member will be a future Olympics star!
goodtomove tip: Why not try blindfolded tug of war, a fun twist on the classic game.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: Around 150 depending on activity
goodtomove tip No.23: Tig
Kids love being chased so why not play Tig with them in the garden or even indoors if the weather is bad, they will love running around and have a good giggle while trying to run away. Playing Tig for an hour will burn around 300 calories!
goodtomove tip: We've got more activities you can do indoors if the weather's bad.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.24: Cycling
Cycling as a family can be a lot of fun and is a great form of exercise as it really gets the heart rate up. You could take a nice healthy picnic too and a make a day of it. Take a look at the top 25 family cycle routes in the UK. You're bound to have a fun day out, and it's something the whole family can enjoy together. Cycling will burn around 300-400 calories depending on the speed and cycle path.
goodtomove tip: Cycling can be quite intense for beginners, start off with local routes and build fitness levels over time.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 100
goodtomove tip No.25: Martial arts
Depending on which martial arts class your child is interested in they will be able to burn between 300-1000 calories. Self defence is a great life skill for your child to learn too, and they will love telling their friends about their new hobby. Many leisure centres offer martial arts, self defence and karate classes, so have a look locally and see what's out there.
goodtomove tip: Martial arts can be quite a high impact activity for beginners, build up your fitness with less strenuous activities first.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 268
goodtomove tip No.26: Dog walk
Dog walking is a fantastic form of exercise, as it's done regularly and usually briskly as dogs love running about. Playing fetch with the dog can burn around 300 calories an hour, the fresh air and exercise is also good for your child's mental and physical wellbeing.
goodtoknow tip: If you've got a new puppy, take it to puppy training. You'll learn everything you need to know about looking after your dog and how to use discipline.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.27: Swimming
Swimming is cheap, fun and suitable for all the family. It's a great way for your kids to exercise, they'll be so happy splashing and swimming that they'll hardly notice burning nearly 500 calories an hour!
goodtomove tip: Swimming is gentle on your body, so it's a great activity to start with.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 125
goodtomove tip No.28: Family walk
Family walks are a great way to explore a new area or help you get to know the areas around where you live. You can get the whole family involved and make a day of it. Walking will burn 200-300 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: The Walking Pages have walks listed by location around the UK, so you're bound to find one near you.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.29: British bulldog
One child is the bulldog and stands in the middle of the garden, then everyone else stands at one end of the garden. The aim is to get to the other side without getting tagged by the bulldog. Once you've been touched by the bulldog you are now also a bulldog. The last player left that has not been caught is the winner. Playing British bulldog will burn around 250-300 calories an hour.
goodtomove tip: Get the bulldog to play in fancy dress, the kids will love dressing up and it will add to the fun!
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 75
goodtomove tip No.30: Table tennis
In the run up to the Olympics there has been a table tennis initiative around the country with many parks having new table tennis tables installed. Make the most of this and buy some bats, the kids will love the challenge and will burn between 200-250 calories an hour, which is the equivalent to an easy stroll but a lot more fun!
goodtomove tip: If want to play at home, you could use an old paste table and buy a cheap net. The kids will love playing table tennis whenever they want.
Calories burnt in 15 mins: 62
Find out more
- Move more and have fun with goodtomove
- FREE planner and activities sheet to download
