Aerobic Games for Kids
Aerobic games for kids gets their hearts pumping. It is important to encourage active play. Kids, and adults, of all income levels are suffering the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, going from crowded classrooms to passive activities. Help kids build strong, healthy bodies by teaching them games that get their bodies moving.
Other People Are Reading
-
Giants, Wizards and Elves
-
Play this team version of "Rock, Paper Scissors," with two people, or a large group broken into two teams. Start by teaching everyone the actions of the three characters. Show the giant by raising up on tip toes with arms overhead making growling sounds. The wizard is played by crouching, waving and shouting kazaam while pointing a pretend magic wand. Finally the elf is kneeling on the ground with hands cupped around ears, screeching. Practice calling out different characters and having the players work on their dramatic interpretations.
Teams line up across from each other and then on the count of three, transform into their character which they decided upon ahead of time. The winning team chases the losing team; giants win against elves, elves win against wizards and wizards win against giants. Designate a safe zone for the losing team to race toward, but if captured before reaching it, they join the winning team. Game continues until one team consumes the other.
Wall Volley
-
A large wall and a ball are all you need to play wall volley. The action of throwing, catching and retrieving missed balls is an aerobic game that can be played alone. Count how many times it hits the wall and is successfully caught. Time it to see if you can increase the number of times it is thrown and caught. Make a mark on the wall and try to hit the target each time.
Make the game harder by playing with a partner. Each player tries to make the other miss by throwing it hard, high or low.
-
Tag
-
The game of tag has numerous variations. All versions include at least one person who is "it" who tries to tag other players. For example, set up a game of blob tag which starts with two players linked together at the arms. The players they successfully tag must also link arms with one of the blob. Game continues until there is only one remaining player untagged.
Interactive Video Games
-
Several versions of interactive video games are on the market that encourage active participation. Virtual games include sports, boxing, dance and regular video games that are controlled by movement rather than a handheld joy stick. These games provide a way to introduce video game addicts to aerobic activity without changing their habits completely. Whether kids compete against friends or try to beat their highest score, the aerobic benefits are still there.
-
References
- Photo Credit boy running image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
