Indoor Movement Ideas for Kids
Tired of having your children attempt surfing in the bath tub? Read on for other indoor movement activities from our guest blogger, physical therapist Dr. Deborah Stack.
Staff from the Mayo Clinic recommend kids ages 6-17 should have one hour of moderate exercise each day. Exercise can help improve mood (through the release of endorphins), improve sleep and therefore attention, and improve cardiovascular endurance.
With everyone back in school and limited or no recess for most middle and high school students, many kids are not getting enough exercise. Even if your family is active on the weekends, after focusing all day, kids need to MOVE when they get home. If an hour doesn’t fit your schedule, try a 20 – 30 minute movement break before settling down for homework etc. Since weather does not always allow for outside play, we have included some indoor ideas as well.
Here are quick exercises for kids and teens and a table of caloric expenditure for common activities:
Short burst ideas
- Have a 15-minute dance party
- Use your body to make all the letters of the alphabet
- Shadow box to some music
- Dust off the treadmill or stationary bike in the basement
- Play ping-pong
- Do a few chores (carrying laundry baskets up and down is great exercise)
- Rake some leaves and jump on in
- Play tag
- Jump rope
- Jog in place
- Pull out some “little kid games” such as hopscotch, hulahoop or twister
- Let each child in your house choose an activity for everyone to try
- Family yoga…there are many great kids yoga cards and videos
- Walk or “run” stairs…kids can try to beat their prior score for a minute of stairs
- Take walking/wheeling/even wheelbarrow laps around the house
- Stretch out calves, quadriceps, arms and back…see ergonomics post for counteracting all the sitting
Numbers to guide you
All activities are based on 20 minutes and a teen who weighs 110 pounds. The number of calories burned depends on weight. If your child weighs more, they will burn a few more calories, if they weighs less, they’ll burn a few less. Below the table is a link to a free and quick calorie calculator on the web.
| ACTIVITY | CALORIES USED PER HOUR |
| Shooting Basketballs | 75 |
| Pickup Basketball game/practice | 100 |
| Biking on stationary bike | 116 |
| Dancing | 75 |
| Hopscotch | 67 |
| Ice Skating | 116 |
| Jogging in place | 133 |
| Juggling | 67 |
| Jumping Rope | 166 |
| Ping Pong | 67 |
| Rock Climbing | 183 |
| Running at 5 mph | 133 |
| Sledding | 116 |
| Treadmill at 4 mph | 67 |
| Vacuuming | 58 |
Try this activity calculator:
https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/healthtool-exercise-calculator
Keep ’em moving- you’ll have more fit, better rested, and happier kids!
Deborah Stack, PT,DPT,PCS is a pediatric physical therapist and owner of the Pediatric Therapy Center of Bucks County. She has practiced for over 25 years and specializes in neurological and orthopedic physical therapy for children.
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