Kids can burn hundreds of calories a day just by playing their favorite games outside.
Don’t overlook kickball, Wiffle Ball, dodge ball, Frisbee, and shooting hoops as calorie burning activities.
Playing games with your kids such as tag, hide and go seek and relay races, takes more energy than you’d ever imagine.
A quick and easy way to encourage healthy physical fitness is to set up a family exercise contest, consisting of jumping rope, hopping on one foot, and jumping jacks.
Have your kids count how many they can do in thirty seconds and write it down on a chart, so they can see their progress each time.
Math Walk
Try out a little mental math workout while you walk. While on a walk, have everyone wear a pedometer. A pedometer is a small portable step counter that counts steps a person takes. You can purchase one at any sporting goods store, or click here to buy one online
When you get home check out how many steps you take (generally, 3,000 child’s steps is equal to a mile), and make a chart to see how many steps you can take each time you walk.
Walking Measurements
One way to help your young ones become conscious about how participating in physical activity is linked to their health, is by showing them how much they move and pointing out the benefits.
Get a tape measure and have your child start walking. Find out his or her walking stride by measuring the distance between their footsteps.
Armed with that information have your child pick places familiar to them such as: their bedroom, the length of a mall, a soccer field, their driveway, the distance between their house and a neighbor, and baseball diamond.
First, have them guess how many steps they think will it take to cover the chosen area. Then, have them walk the area, while counting aloud each step they take. After that, you can help them convert it into an actual distance in feet.
A variation on this activity is to perform this task along side your child, while you count your steps. Then compare the different amount of steps taken to cover the same area.
Once your child is familiar with the idea of measuring their steps, have them guess which of their favorite area in town is the farthest away (ex. school, playground, church, store, post office). Then take an afternoon walk to each place, counting steps along the way, and record the results. When you are finished visiting each place, transfer the results onto a home-drawn map of the child’s community. This may be fun to keep and redo each spring as your child grows and his or her gait lengthens.
Walk it Off Worksheets
| FeetAreNotForKicking.pdf |
| IWentWalking.pdf |
| TheFootBook.pdf |
Walk it Off Book Recommendations
And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street
By Dr. Seuss
Marco is in a pickle. His father has instructed him to keep his eyes peeled for interesting sights on the way to and from school, but all Marco has seen is a boring old horse and wagon. Imagine if he had something more to report, say, a zebra pulling the wagon. Or better yet, the zebra could be pulling a blue and gold chariot. No, wait! Maybe it should be a reindeer in that harness. Marco's story grows ever more elaborate as he reasons that a reindeer would be happier pulling a sled, then that a really unusual sight would be an elephant with a ruby-bedecked rajah enthroned on top. "Say! That makes a story that no one can beat, / When I say that I saw it on Mulberry Street." Time and again, Marco tops himself until he is positively wound up with excitement and bursts into his home to tell his dad what he saw on Mulberry Street.
Rosie’s Walk
By Pat Hutchens
Rosie the hen is enjoying a leisurely walk around the farm, but the stroll isn't nearly as pleasant for the fox who is trying -- unsuccessfully -- to navigate the obstacle course Rosie is unknowingly leading him through.
Owen’s Walk
By Karen Hill
Owen's grandmother has prepared him for a special journey. He must make his way along a winding path full of unexpected surprises . . . all by himself! Equipped with the contents of his backpack and encouragement from his grandmother, Owen sets out on his path. As Owen follows a path that his father made between his Grandmother's house and his own home, his imagination leads him on to experience adventures through the deep woods, an impassible stream, and mysterious sounds and sights along the way. Children of all ages will appreciate the exciting adventure and the wisdom that Owen learns along the way.
A Good Night Walk
By Elisha Cooper
Let's go for a walk, along the block, and see what we can see…. With this opening line Cooper invites readers on a virtual evening stroll down an ordinary suburban street. On each spread, a new house or two come into view, full of interesting homey details. As the walk progresses, the sky darkens and, finally, it is time to turn back. The artist then shows each house in reverse and points out the small changes that have occurred as night has come on. The text is spare but delightfully descriptive. Cooper's watercolor illustrations are likewise simple, but with very few lines he is able to suggest considerable detail. Children will enjoy pausing to look carefully at each page especially as the sky grows dark and night animals can be seen hiding in shadows. The muted colors and horizontal format of the illustrations give the book a restful feeling and make it a good bedtime story, and the text is easy enough for beginning readers.
Taking a Walk / Caminando
By Rebecca Emberley
Labeled illustrations and Spanish and English text introduce the things a child sees while on a walk.
