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Sheila, There are many cache's to find in and near Indy. At one time there were at least four in
Fort Ben alone. My children like this activity and don't even seem to notice that exercise is involved. walking is my main exercise. They got tired of walking with me two years ago. Then we got a gps and started geocaching. When I hike Ft. Ben they want to take bikes or stay home. But they beg to go geocaching,and don't mind jogging part of the way to the destination. Many skills can be learned and everyone usually has lots of fun. Some of the other activities my children like are swimming,tennis, four square, informal volleyball, backyard basketball, and watter fights. Barb
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| My son and I jump on the trampoline in the backyard everyday. He makes me do it so I'm guaranteed at least a cardio workout. Even after a hard day at work, I at least go for at least 15 minutes. That is our "alone time" together everyday.
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| I bet redecorating does burn some calories!! We are in the process of moving and after packing a couple of boxes I am breaking a sweat! I try to get the kids moving to by letting them bring the boxes to me and putting some of the lighter items in the boxes. kids love to feel useful (well at least my toddlers do, not sure about the teenagers we aren't quite there yet, lol).
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| Try redecoration or just rearanging the furniture. I have been doing it all day and I am wiped out. The kids are having fun picking out how they want thier rooms to look. You know the Kool teen - get rid of all the 'baby stuff or the jungle -- get rid of the hi tech stuff (or at less hide it) add animal hammik or posters or in to orbit -- glow in the dark star on ceiling. It also helps to weed out the junk out of the room, whether it's the kids bed room or our family room. I am finding with my son I can't just say clean your room he needs a picture in his head --- so take a picture of the room as soon as it's finished to remind everyone how it's suppose to look.
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Hi Clabbergirl
I'm talking about the motorized wheels that would pull the mower around while I race behind it. I leave the gear selector in neutral and push the mower manually. I'm not quite motivated enough to try an actual push mower with no engine (lol).
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| I enjoy dancing with my three children, I end up holding one while we dance to cds, tv you name it we dance to it
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CLABBERGIRL
6/14/06 8:47 A
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Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do you shut off the 'power function' of a lawnmower? Are you talking about the engine? Or is there some kind of special boost on certain mowers?
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| There are some awesome ideas here!!! I love the idea of cutting of the auto function on the lawnmower! The others are great too! We were inside all day because of rain yesterday so I did my best to keep the 3 of us active. We danced to Barney, Sesame Street, I had them have a race to see who could slide down there little slide the fastest, and we played a light game of tag in the living room. Keep the ideas coming, I for one enjoy reading them.
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WYRDSISTER
6/13/06 7:55 P
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Dawn what a good idea. Its doing things like shutting off the mowers auto function that make the difference - far from lame - a great idea.Lyn
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I think the whole work without realizing it is what I'm after ~lol
Yesterday I shut off the power function on my lawnmower and pushed that thing the whole time. I know, probably sounds pretty lame, but I got a workout!
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 Love It KEEP IT UP!!!! Let's get our children moving.
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CLABBERGIRL
6/12/06 9:43 A
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Monstermommy has a great point with the letterboxing. I don't do that, but do geocaching, which is a similar activity. My kids really enjoy it, although as the heat goes up we haven't done it lately. It's like 'hiking with a purpose'. There's a group here on sparkpeople too.
I find hiking to be a great activity with the family because you get a great workout, aerobic and anerobic, without noticing it as much as you would if stuck on a treadmill. Being outdoors takes away that 'this is no fun/chore' feeling.
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We really have to teach our kids to move around. I really missed that on my parents.
I try always to get my son around, biking, walking, even running or bringing him to the gym´s childcare.
He is 2 years old, but as he sees me jogging at the beach, he begs me to jog together and we always do it for the last 1/2 mile. He loves it. It brings him a lot of energy !!!
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 Wow so many great ideals here.
1-It's great to teach your little ones now about running, playing, dancing, roller skating, any active thing. I am a school bus driver and I see too many kids and their parents try to keep thier kids and themselves from doing any exercise even walking down to the end of the street (even very short streets) Let them see you exercising, and let them participate.
2-Even though you find an activity that you can do with your kids don't forget to do some at your speed. I had a stroller/bike cart, a two in one things. Either you could push the handle and walk or run, since it was set up with large wheels to go fast enough to be attached to a bike. Then of course it can be attached to the bike. My kids love the ride and even after they got too big begged to 'ride'.
3-Try your local YMCA. Our has a family pass which includes (no extra charge) a nursery and kid's GYM so the parents can do exercise classes, swimming, or weight room. This is great because the kids aren't just sitting and waiting but buzy doing 'their' thing and soon begging to go.
4-Now even these dreaded "Play Stations" are adding moving games like Dance Revolution, Vitural Trainer, and others that actually keep track of what you are doing and tell you how many minutes and number of calories burned. A good way to teach the kids sharing and taking turns. (Buy used at yard sale or on internet)
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| I have a 2 year old son. Today we went biking. We live in Brazil and since we are during the world cup (soccer cup - I don´t know if you know it), we have brazilian flags hang in all places. We went counting as many flags as we could find. This way we spent more than one hour biking and did not see the time go by. It was a lot of fun !!!!
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My kids are 14, 11 and 7 and for 9 years we've been disc (frisbee) golfing. It is such an easy activiny for all ages, and very reasonable cost-wise. Also for the cub scout leaders out there, the ultimate frisbee belt loop can be earned by playing disc golf. Most courses are also tame enough to push a stroller through, which is what we did with our youngest. PDGA.com has a link to a state by state listing of where courses are near you.
The geo-catching and letterboxing both sound like something my family would be interested in. I'll have to check the links
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DAWNAPRIL
6/11/06 11:53 A
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| Thanks so much for the response. Letterboxing sounds like so much fun...Now I'm off to check out the link you sent to see if there's any letterboxing near here...
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MONSTERMOMMY
6/11/06 10:03 A
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DAWNAPRIL:
Letterboxing is better explained here: http://www.letterboxing.org/
But this is from the site as a quick explanation:
What is Letterboxing?
Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, in England.
Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.
Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry at least a pencil, his personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks.
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| MonsterMommy - What is letterboxing?
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As the mother of 5 children, I LOVE this topic!
I just bought a badmitten set yesterday and we had a great time using it. We're TERRIBLE, so that means we get more of an AB workout picking up the shuttlecock so much!!
Our whole family also enjoys working in the garden together.
Tina B
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ROSERIGHTER
6/11/06 8:53 A
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| Cool, i am a scout leader as well:) It is a fun activity for the boys and you could definitely use it to count toawrds one of your hiking experiences!
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IRONANGEL
6/11/06 12:39 A
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| My 3 boys are in Boy Scouts and that Geocaching sounds like fun. I will suggest it at one of our meetings. Since they have to hike as requirements.
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I have a 3 year old and a 2 year old. We live in South Carolina so it's really hot right now and we when we can't make it to the park for a half hour or so I bring in their plastic slide and put it in the family room and let them go to town. Sometimes we will dance to their favorite CD or dance along to the Wiggles or Barney.
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth. :)
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MONSTERMOMMY
6/10/06 6:19 P
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| Is geocaching like letterboxing?
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JENNCHEESE
6/10/06 4:30 P
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| I take my baby to the gym with me, and we go walking almost everyday. I am looking for a good jogger so that we can start running.
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Hi!
I just thought I'd add my 2 cents. lol
My little ones are 6 and 3 1/2 and I go bike riding with them. They'll ride all day until I tell them to stop! lol
We also play wiffle ball, girls vs. boys! My daughter (6) can hit great and throw good too.
We just bought them a T-Ball set and gloves.
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BROUNSUGR73
6/10/06 12:31 P
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| This is a great idea! There are so many parks near our house that we could find a different destination each time for a while!
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ROSERIGHTER
6/10/06 10:34 A
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Geocaching is hiking with a purpose. You track coordinates from geocah.com and use a GPS device to find a treasure. You take something, you leave something and you write soemthing in the journal and then replace the container. It makes walking fun for the kids (and us!)
We have done shorter distance ones that take maybe 15 mins and longer ones that have taken up to 2 hours.
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| Hi there, whatis geocach? I've never heard of it.
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DAWNAPRIL
6/10/06 10:14 A
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| It's funny you should mention geocaching - I just heard about that and thought it sounded like SO much fun! How old are your kids?
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ROSERIGHTER
6/10/06 10:00 A
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| We like to geocach with the kids. also, just chasing them around at the park is great exercise for all of us, and a lot of fun.
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| My kids like to walk with me and my husband at night. I am hoping that my husband and older boys start weightlifting they have talked about it but actually doing it is a whole other story, we all need to get and stay motivated.
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KATE_THAETE
6/9/06 6:48 P
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| my hubby & i play frisbee golf, which would be a great activity for kids... essentially, it's frisbee - meets golf... check your local parks department for courses in your area, we have several. basically, you play golf, but the "holes" are these special metal racks that you aim your frisbee at. lots of fun... we tend to spend more time chasing after missing frisbees than anything.
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XOXO_UN1_OXOX
6/9/06 1:25 P
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We try to keep our kids pretty active (ages 8,7 and 4) This past weekend we went to a park at a different end of the city (10 Kms) The husband and kids biked while I rollerbladed. When we got there we had a already packed lunch and then fed the seagulls. The kids love it and I get my excercise in!
I also try to pick the kids up from school(2 kms) atleast 2-3 times a week. They would prefer to bike as it's faster but it's good for them to walk also. When school is out at the end of this month we will then bike to the gym in the mornings and bike back!
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| I highly recommend YogaKids dvds - my kids love the "silly to calm" one (all the poses are named after animals). And there's always The Wiggles - it gets the kids off the couch while they watch, and there are some songs (Wiggle Groove, Pirate Dancing, Here Come the Wiggles...) that will give YOU a great workout, too!
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I am sure their is something aimed toward children in the yoga department. I know they have yoga for dogs why not kids right? However, my 5 and 6 year old have been doing th AM/PM yoga program with me for years! They just got sick of watching me do it, and one day started mimicking my movements. I started to include them and with the help of the blocks in some poses they aren't half bad.
I also invested in a bicycle for myself, and will go on bike rides with the kids. They love riding bikes so it is a nice way to get active with them. My five year old loves to dance and listen to mucic so when no one else is around we will crank up the music and get silly. I think I get a better work out doing that then anything else. Another fun thing for summer is water gun fights with the kids, and then their is the after dinner walk. I have a hard time wanting to snack in the evenings so instead I make everyone go on an evenng walk around the block with me.
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MONSTERMOMMY
6/9/06 9:32 A
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Can anyone suggest a good "Mommy & Me" type yoga DVD? Our library has some beginner DVDs, but I'm not sure what is kid-appropriate. My kids are 3, 4, 8, & 10.
Thanks!!
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I don't have any kids (unless you count my husband) but he and I will play ping pong for hours! Last night we played for over 2 hours and I burned over 500 calories! We turned on the music pretty loud ('80s music) and we danced while playing. It was hysterical! We were laughing so hard that I feel my abdominal muscles this morning big time.
Kids LOVE to play ping pong and it teaches them hand/eye coordination. You'll both be getting a fantastic workout bending, squatting, and laughing while chasing the balls around. You should be able to find a cheap table and paddles (I got mine from Sears) and some of them fold up when not in use. I leave mine down and my living room is now my play room. :)
Have fun!
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| Hi, I'm the mother of three girls ranging from 2 to 9 years. Those all sound like great ideas. I'm going to check the fitkids video out of the library today, thanks!
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Have you trierd clambering around with them when you do strength exercises on the floor? They take longer but we have lots of fun - lyn mum to Angus 9months & Hamish 2 and a bit
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i need to let u know my kids are 2yrs old and 11 months old. I'm trying to find something to do with them together, whether it be inside or out.
Thanks for the comments and advice.
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| I take my kids out side and we got this huge ball and they chase it around the yard.(so do I) or we will get in the pool and play.
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Good old New England weather seems to be keeping us in more than out lately. So instead of taking walks we are trying to do a lot of work on the inside of the house. It's amazing how tiring painting can get, but I feel like I've put in a good workout. Hopefully we can enjoy some sun soon and play in the backyard.
CntryChris: My husband and I enjoy camping with our daughter but don't get to go very often. But when we do, we try to get in a lot of swimming and biking around the campground!! I like the obstacle course idea. I'll have to try that!!
Good Luck to everyone!!!
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We have three kids 9,8, and 6. Our family goes camping every other weekend! We all love it! We go bike riding, hiking, swimming, play ball (baseball/softball, soccer, football), and fishing! It is a great way to keep everyone active and in touch with each other! Our camper is a great investment in our family!
At home when we are not at ball, we walk or bike ride and play baseball.
I also do daycare and the kids love the animal game that was mentioned. They also like to throw a ball at a target and see who can come closer. We also made obstical (sp?) courses with jumps and cones to run over and around.
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CLABBERGIRL
6/8/06 1:21 P
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I've recently started bicycling with my 14 year-old, video-game-addicted son. He really seems to enjoy it. We talk while riding about things that interest him, and it's become a great way to stay connected. He actually asks me if I have time for a ride now when I get home from work.
My 11 year-old daughter does not know how to ride a bike, and I am stumped as to what we can do together other than walking the dogs. She does like that.
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EXCLAMATION
6/8/06 1:02 P
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I got a Denise Austin DVD called FitKids and if I put that in and do it with them, the kids love it and I get a workout too. More often, we go for bike rides or walks (to the park/library/store).
The younger ones love to play where I tell them an animal and then act like it - kangaroo, rabbit, lion, crab. Not so active for you, but great for them :)
We also just play around where we see how many of different exercises we can do, just for fun like situps, pushups, jumping jacks, etc. It gets everyone moving a bit at least.
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STEPHANIEL1
6/8/06 9:41 A
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| My son is autistic too! What is the trail a bike that you are talking about? Blake is 5 and still not quite able to ride his bike yet.
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| while we don't have kids, I've noticed that a lot of kids will try and mimic or copy what you do. My nephews are ussually interested in trying some of the Pilates and yoga I've been learning if I call it "stretching" instead...who knew a name could make a difference?
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We love to walk with the kids and teaching them how to play baseball!
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| I'm looking forward to doing that with my granddaughter. She id due Oct 22 so I'll have a few years to wait.
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My favorite thing is to take my grand daughter to the zoo. It is a lvoely walk with inclines and it gives us time together.
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My son is 13 and he hates Gym, in fact this past school year he talked his way out of gym. Since it is Middle school they don't consult the parents on stuff like that. Anyway, the only way I can get him to exercise is to take him to the game store in the Mall (I park far away from store so there is a lot of walking) or to the pool. He does love to swim.
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RICKYSHELL
6/7/06 12:35 P
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| my kids are 11 and 8 and we try to walk at least one mile together a day, it gives us time away from phone, computer, chores, to actually talk to each other.
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| My husband and I often take our 5 children to the park...the older girls (14, 13, 12, and 9) play basketball with Dad while baby (7 mos) and I play on all the playground equipment. We walk to the park together to add a little more exercise.
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That's a really good idea, I never thought of that. I just have to find something for my baby to do. He likes to throw things.
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| If the kids are small, you can get a set of hoops (for indoor or outdoor use). My son loves to jump from hoop to hoop (You put them in a straight line) - and they can try spinning them round their tummy too (although I can't do that so I can't teach the kids!!!) or rolling them.. then they have to go get them and bring them back.
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See its me home all day with the kids and I try to take them outside but the mosquitos are getting bad here. I play with them inside but its not the same. Both of my kids love to outside and its either to hot or the bugs are bad.
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| I forgot to mention, that in the middle of the bike ride, we get to a playground for a play (1/2 to 1hr) and a snack - and of course drinks, usually water for the ride and something sweeter for when we stop and snack.
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I have 2 kids (6 and 4). We go to a big park and they bike a few km. Sometimes we take one adult bike with us to keep up with Adi (6) and the other one usually walks with Roi (4)... although I think we'll soon need to get another adult bike or put on our running shoes. In addition, we play a lot in the garden - they like it when I make a circuit (going under the table/chair, round the swing, kicking a ball, touching something blue, etc... or just funny races (on their bottoms, sideways, hopping, jumping, hugging, ... anything for fun... (although they're not always so keen to get in the shower afterwards!!!)
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| I'm looking for some good activities to do with my kids. I have a 2 yr old and an 11mth old. I want to start on June 7 but Im trying to find some ideas first. Thanks and God Bless.
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My three year old son uses cans as weights also - he looks so cute following along with me. He follows along with a lot of my other strength exercises too, and his "form" really makes me laugh - which makes him laugh - which makes me laugh harder. Exercising is not so much of a chore when he is with me!!! We stretch together also and that is really good for both of us.
I also swim with both my kids and they love to be pushed on the swings. Sometimes we kick a ball around. My one year old is just learing to walk and I can literaly spend hours (yes, I said hours) walking around behind him.
A big part of the reason why I joind Sparkpeople is so that I would have enough energy to keep up with them. So far, it's working!
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BUTTERFLYNOW
6/6/06 6:10 P
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I've gotten some cans out of the pantry for my sons to use as 'weights', then shown them how to do arm curls, etc. They had fun doing that.
Right now, in AZ it's over 110 degrees outside, so I'm looking for ideas myself. Swimming's about it right now.
Natalie
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We bought a mini trampoline at a garage sale for $5 (Wal Mart has them new for $20) and keep it in the living room. Then, if there is ever time that we're just sitting and watching TV (HA!) then we can take turns on the trampoline. We have to time each other, as otherwise fights ensue. lol
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| I go swimming or bike riding most often with my kids. Sometimes we will bike to the park, then I continue to ride around the play area while they play, or I get off my bike and do pull ups or something. I've even been known to hop on a swing next to them and swing. It's fun and good exercise. I have also jump roped and played soccer, volleyball, basketball, catch or any other type of sport in the backyard. All are great for hand eye coodination, and you can spend tons of time chasing the ball around. My kids also do have some tiny weights to "do" my videos with me, but that doesn't usually keep their interest very long.
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It's great to get kids involved in active passtimes early. With the rate of childhood obesity going through the roof we should all keep active with our ids- if belong to a gym or not.
I was in your shoes with hubby doing OT and small ones making gym time nearly impossible. So I got creative,we did many things with the boys over the years...Tball, horseshoes, tag, jumprope, any variation of hide and seek or tag,red light green light, mother may I, mini trampolines, obstical courses,swimming,Hokie Pokie,guess what animal,(car, thing etc I am by actions -no sounds), relay races, the loved scavenger hunts- think of the active things you liked to do at the kids age and play *with* them (no fair sitting on the sideline lol). My boys are older now (teens) but when they were younger we'd hike, dodgeball with water balloons, ride bikes, kickball,swim, play soccer and roller blade.A favorite was "how many times can you (insert activity)in one minute". They are into fishing now- which sounds like a lazy day in the sun- not so... the boys each made thier own boat (one sheet skiff plans are online)and hubby made a longer one for us to share. No more fishing from the shore- we load the boats on the truck or they pull them behind thier bikes and head to the local river then row row row your boat - now that's a workout!
Good Luck and stay active
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| I have 3 step children. While one is at practice I walk around the park with the other two for about 30 minutes. I tell them they can play at the playground after we have walked around twice.
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| When our son was young (less than four) we used tohike with hm in a kiddy backpack. We also had a bike trailer we would put him in. A side benifit of the trailer was that it was a sure thing nap machine and he was not a napper. He's six now and we have a trail-a-bike and ride together. We both get a workout that way which is great. We also like to play tag. He can play this for a long time and he is very fast so I get a good workout. We need to try hiking with him this summer and see how he likes it not that he is too big to carry.
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| Hi I have a 18 month old boy. Both infants and todlers like to dance and listen to music. What I do is that I pick my son on my harms and I dance with him for at least 30 min. I've been ding this since he was 3 months old. another thing is that you can do crunches with the baby on your tommy sisting her on it and resting her back on your legs. That gives add more weight to you stomag and help to make your abs stronger. I have more ideas if you need more help just ask. I know how difficult and frustrating can be not been able to go to a gym.
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CHRISTYSMITH
6/6/06 6:18 A
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| We do los of hiking together. My son and I are taking golf lessons together. They love playing tag and racing. It gets my HR up running w/ them in any way
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brandi- if you can't work out when baby's asleep, try using him/her as a free weight. Babies are really good for bicep curls, adding weight for cruches and for putting on your legs and doing leg lifts.
Of course, there's always the good ole, put the baby in a stroller and go for a walk/jog. Swimming is also good, babies are usually pretty good in the water and you burn calories holding baby up and moving around.
Have fun, mostly, and good luck.
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BRANDILUNSFORD
6/6/06 2:09 A
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| i have a infant any one have anyone got any suggestions
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LUJAINSMOM
6/5/06 11:57 P
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My girls love to do the workout tapes, too. My 5 year old has the funniest yoga poses you could imagine. Her plank is suspiciously similar to spiral macaroni!
We also have "workout" competitions. We see how many of any exercise each of us can do. We get in Sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, windmills, or whatever comes up.
Both of them are overweight so it's helpful for them, too. Getting your 4 year old moving now is definitely a good idea.
And dancing anytime, anywhere. I always do it while I'm cooking and they join me sometimes, (and laugh at me sometimes, too).
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ELIZAKITTY30
6/5/06 11:31 P
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I remember reading once in like a Redbook/Good Housekeeping type magazine about the playground exercise routine. It showed how you could swing for so many minutes...go up and down the slide so many times...play on the monkey bars...stuff like that...and get a really good workout. Even if you really don't know how many calories you are burning...it's really fun to swing!
Sandy :0)
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| Fill water balloons and get the garden hose out. Everyone loves to run and chase each other!
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I totally agree with the zoo idea and the dancing in the living room.
I've gotten more than my 10000 steps walking the zoo. If you live where it's hot, go early. The animals are more active and the zoo is less crowded.
My 4 year old loves for me to dance with her and it usually involves picking her up some and swinging her around. Talk about strength training. ha ha ha
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ALLIGATORSHEL
6/5/06 9:57 P
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| I rollerblade as my 6 yr old son rides his bike. I push my 2 year old in the jogging stroller. They both love it. Great exercise and out door time for all of us. I like the stroller since it gives me some more stability. I really don't want to fall and this helps. We also love to play Hide and seek, except that I hide objects (balls, toys, water bottles) around the yard and they get points for bringing them back as fast as they can. My work out comes when I have to race around the yard and put things back. They time me, too. When my son was 4 he loved to kick a soccer ball around. We went to the park a lot and I chased him and the ball around. Good luck.
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| I bought a tag along for behind my bike, that way my 4 year old is getting the hang of riding, and pedaling ( I have a 2 year old in a front bike seat also) the 2 oldest ride their own, people laugh when they see our carivan coming, but it is all good fun
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AKFLUTTERBY
6/5/06 8:20 P
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My gym offers a lot of classes for both parents and their kids. You might want to see if yours does the same thing. Also, if you have the couple of dollars (which I usually don't), your gym might also offer child care so you can stick to your usual routine and your child can play with others. When all else fails, I like to try out new workouts ideas at the playground (climbing up and down the little steps, doing leaning push-ups, or just running around trying to keep up with my kids and do everything they do).
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I totally agree with Jennifer's post.
Swimming is a great idea -
we signed up our 10-month old for lessons - but it ends up being a work out for us.
You have to bob up and down the pool holding the baby.
Both my husband & I notice how much of a leg workout is was.
Good luck!
Mony
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| We love bike riding, hiking on trails and swimming.
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| We just bought a cheap Wham-o Backyard Obstacle Course, and it is a lot of fun! Great cardio workout and fun for all ages. I do think that mom's and dad's deserve a small head start though because we aren't as close to the ground. I bought it at Sportsmen's Warehouse, but I've also seen them on Ebay. Lots of competetive fun!
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SUNFLOWERMOM5
6/2/06 11:01 P
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The zoo... man we went oday and I tell you what that will get the steps in LOLOL
I walked 11 507 steps all today..
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| My 4 yr old likes to ride his bike while I walk. It's up high enough that if he just wants to sit on it I can easily push him along.
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JENNYBELL68
6/1/06 8:11 P
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| Now that summer is here, swimming is a great way to exercise. You can walk her back and forth (laps) which is a great cardio exercise without getting you all hot and sweaty (quite the opposite). Plus, if she doesn't already know how to swim (most 4 year olds don't), then it's a great way for her to get comfy with the pool (call it pre-swimming lessons).
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SUNFLOWERMOM5
6/1/06 2:38 P
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| Walking is always a good one with little ones.. or what about playing games out side. like hide and seek.. or chase or something..
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my son (he's 6) and i go on bike rides together. he likes to do my excercise tapes with me too..he used to like yoga, but lately he prefers the tae bo tapes.
we go on walks in the woods and identify plants and animals together. (we are rural, our woods are right behind our house)
and we like to dance in the living room lol.
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My almost four year old likes to "do" workout tapes with me. Usually after we finish the tape, she gets to be the teacher and show me some exercises. It doesn't work everyday, but some days I can make it through the workout.
Also, can you set up races with each other? Sometimes when we are walking around the neighborhood we do mini races.
Good luck!
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Hi Everyone.
I'm currently a SAHM with our youngest, she's four years old. My Dh has been working overtime for the last two days and his extra hours have cut into my gym time.
I am looking for ideas of what I could get out and do with my 4 year old that would be fun for her and exercise for me. Today I'm just planning to go to the park. I can walk the trails then let her play on the gym.
I would love to go on easy hikes around some of the alpine lakes in our area, but I'm not prepared for that today.
Any other suggestions? What are family friendly activites that are good exercise too?
Thanks!
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