Indoor Physical Activities for Kids, Physical Fitness Exercise at Home for Children, Home Workouts for Kids | ParentCircle (2024)

Team ParentCircle 6 Mins Read

Physical fitness contributes not only to your child's physical development but also helps in cognitive development. Engaging in physical activities such as playing a sport or exercising helps keep your child healthy and fit. But, with gadgets playing a dominant role in our lives today, how much of physical activity do our children actually engage in?

So, to help your kid get some much-needed workout, get them to engage in these fun physical activities for kids.

Physical activities for kids (3 to 5 years old)

As a preschooler, your child is still learning to coordinate their movements and balance themselves well. Here are a few simple physical activities for children of this age group that will help your little one with their physical development.

• Simon says: This is one game that kids across generations have played. It is one of the best games to play with your child while you are taking a break from work. Take on the role of Simon and ask your child to 'hop like a kangaroo' or 'dance like a peaco*ck'. And when your little one is tired and you need a workout, your child can be Simon while you do what Simon says. Not only is this a fun activity but also a fitness exercise for kids that puts their developing muscles to work.
• Indoor basketball:If your kid loves to aim and throw, challenge them to a game of basketball. Fix the ring to one of the walls and start aiming. Note down your scores to see who wins at the end. It doesn't matter whether your child is able to get the ball through the ring each time they aim, it's the physical exercise they get that matters.
• Fill the bucket: If you don't mind cleaning up the mess later, then this is one game your child is sure to enjoy. Fill a large bucket with water and place it in one corner of the porch. Keep an empty bucket in the opposite corner of the porch. Give your child a mug or a cup. Ask your child to fill the mug with water from the bucket that has water in it and pour it into the other empty bucket. This can be a good workout for children of all ages.
• Sing and dance: Kids love to move to the rhythm of music. So, put on some action songs and invite your kid to dance with you to those numbers. Not only will this engage in dance exercises for kids but also learn the rhymes.

Physical activities for kids (6 to 9 years old)

By now your child has good control over their body movements and will be eager to do something more challenging. So, here are a few physical activities for kids to do at home that will not only keep them engaged physically but also test their physical skills.

• Shooting with paper airplanes: One of the many pranks that we all indulged in as kids in our classrooms was throwing paper airplanes. Show your child how to make paper airplanes. Once both of you make a few of them, mark a target on one of the walls, step back a few feet, and try to hit it with your airplane. Or, you can also make a circle on the floor, take a few steps back and try to land your planes in the circle. The winner gets to take all the airplanes of the loser.
• Practice the swing: Almost all of us love the game of cricket. Your child would love it too. But with no opportunity to go out and play cricket, how can your child hone their cricket skills? Here's a way. Hang a cricket ball from the ceiling using a cord and give your child a bat. They can keep hitting the ball to practice her swing. Nowadays, cricket balls are available with a cord attached, which makes your job easier.
• Hopscotch: This is another game that you and your child can play together. And the best thing about hopscotch is, it can be played both indoors and outdoors. Push aside the sofa and center table and make space indoors. Take a piece of chalk and draw the hopscotch squares on the floor and begin hopping. Hopscotch isn't just a fun game but also a fun exercise for kids.
• Balloon volleyball: This is an innovative game in which you can also join the kids for an exciting match. Tie a string from a hook on one wall to another hook on the opposite wall. If you don't have hooks, then use two chairs. Now blow up a balloon and begin the game, with each of you standing on either side of the string. You can play a game of volleyball hitting the balloon over the string and making it stay up in the air.
• Hula hoop: Push the furniture to a corner and create some space for your child to groove with hula hoops. To step up the difficulty level, put on some music and challenge your child to try hula-hooping to the tune.

Physical activities for kids (10 to 12 years old)

Tweens aren't satisfied with simple, fun activities. They need to indulge in something more challenging. So, here are a few indoor physical activities for kids that will not only challenge your tween but also provide them with some much-needed physical activity.

• Transfer the marbles:This is a fun challenge that both you and your child can take up. Take a wide-necked bowl and fill it with water. Now drop a few marbles into the bowl. The challenge is to take out the marbles using your toes. Set the timer and get going. The one to take out the maximum number of marbles is the winner.
• Table tennis: All that is required to play a game of ping pong is a couple of racquets and a ball. But what about the table? Well, you and your child can play table tennis even on the dining table. This is a particularly good game for developing hand-eye coordination and boosting strength, agility, and physical fitness.
• Indoor bowling:Nowadays the game of bowling has become very popular. So why not set up a bowling track at home? Ask your child to collect all the empty plastic bottles, get a ball, clear some space, and both of you are set to go.
• Try an exercise video:Going out and playing in the park with friends is still some time away. But, in the meantime, encourage your tween to try out exercise videos to get some much-needed physical activity and boost her fitness.
• Penguin waddles with the balloon:This activity appears very easy, but do you think it would be easy for your child to do it? Challenge your child to try it and find out for yourself. All you need is a balloon. Blow the balloon. Now, your child should hold it between their knees and waddle across the room without dropping it. To increase the difficulty quotient, you can place obstacles along her path.

We all know the importance of physical activities for kids. Adequate levels of physical activity are very important for a child's physical development and to help kids grow into healthy adults. We are sure the activities suggested in this article will help your child stay active indoors.