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Ensuring That Your Next Play Date is Exciting and Fitness Filled

Summer is coming to an end and school is almost here. With busy summer activities, your child may have lost touch with one of their favorite classmates. One way to alleviate their concerns or anxiety about school is by scheduling a play date with a friend or two from school. Cooper Fitness Center Dallas Youth Programs Director, Meredith Rosson, shares her ideas to ensure your child’s play date is active and burns off some energy.

Outdoor Play Dates
Take a hike. Kids love to explore and this is a perfect activity to allow them to do so while learning to love nature and being active. If you really want to be a rock star parent, have a scavenger hunt list for them with items like: Blue jay, butterfly, pink flower, purple flower, stick that looks like a letter of the alphabet, body of water, etc.

Play water balloon tag. When it is still hot, kids will embrace the idea of heading into the heat when swimsuits and water games are involved. All you will need is 20-30 water balloons. Explain to the children that one person will be “it.” Instead of using their hand to tag the others, they will have to throw a water balloon at them. Once hit, the players switch to the other team and become a larger team of “its.” You can make a whole afternoon of water gun fights and slip and slide activities.

Head to the local zoo. Believe it or not, your kids will burn off a ton of energy running from one animal exhibit to the other. You can make a game of it by having them race from one to the other, but the catch is they have to move like the last animal they saw, not just run.

Rain Day Options That Keep Them Moving
Have a dance party. Find your favorite kid tunes and crank up the volume. Let the kids know that the purpose is to dance as crazy and as much as the would like while the music is playing, but as soon as it is paused (by DJ Mom or Dad) they have to freeze in the silliest pose they can think of. The silliest pose gets to be the DJ for the next turn. Summer campers at Cooper Fitness Center play this all of the time and it can easily keep them entertained for 30 minutes to an hour.

Hide the Thimble. This is another rainy day favorite. Start by hiding a thimble (or any small object) in one room (or two for older kids) and have kids race to see who could find it first. If the game is going too long, you can use verbal cues to let the kids know if they are getting closer (hot/cold). Whoever found it first got to hide it the next time and give the clues. This game can also be played outdoors.

Hopefully these tips will help you be able to maintain an active and well balanced child throughout the school year.

To see more back-to-school tips from Meredith, read her latest blog post. For more information about Cooper Fitness Center youth programs, click here or call 972.233.4832.

Article provide by Meredith Rosson, Youth Programs Director, Cooper Fitness Center Dallas.