I recently wrote a post about some exercise games for toddlers. They involved some basic coordination skills, but were pretty elementary for older kids. I’ve been racking my brain for some games that were a little tougher that could be used for older kids.
Game #1: Kick/Throw knock-down
Need: Various balls (soccer, nerf, football, tennis, etc), cones (1 for as many balls as you have)
Directions: Set up 5 balls across the 5 yard line (I talk in football field lines so it gives you an idea of how we set it up). Set up the cones on the 10 yard line. Start at the 0 (goal) line, and run to the first ball. Kick/throw/toss/backwards, etc the ball at the first cone. If they knock it down, they run back to the goal line, then proceed to do the same with the remaining balls and cones. If they miss the cone, they must perform an animal movement back to the goal line. Bear walks, crabs walks, frog hops, kangaroo hops, etc… get creative!
Game #2: Partner Toss
Need: any ball (soccer, basketball, medicine ball)
Directions: Standing across from your partner, toss the ball back and forth while shuffling approximately 20 yards and back. If you and your partner drop the ball, perform 5-10 pushups (or another exercise). You can also do this drill with one person running forwards and one running backwards.
And since we’ve been really getting smarter about the snacks for our kids, we’ve come up with a few good ideas. Some of them aren’t genius ideas, but if you just take the time to make them, you’ll have them on-hand and won’t need to buy any junk!
Roasted Chick peas
Reconstitute the chick peas according to the directions. Place them in a bowl and coat with olive oil and a flavored seasoning. We used chili powder and garlic. Coat them well and then roast them at 375* for about 50 minutes. Roast them longer if you want them crunchier. My daughter loves them super crunchy, but my son eats them no matter what texture.
Air-popped or pan-popped Popcorn
Not a genius idea, but we made a big batch and put it in one of those big plastic pretzel rod containers. Much better than the microwave variety, which is sparking some debate about chemicals that are in the bag.
Homemade Granola
4 cups oats
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
5-6 TBSP melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Spread out the mixture on aluminum foil-lined cake pan. Bake at 300* for 20 minutes. Stir and bake another 10 minutes. You can add other ingredients like flax, coconut, almonds, dried fruit, etc. I made a double batch this weekend and put the final product back in the cardboard oats container. You can use it as cereal or with greek yogurt.
Homemade Trail Mix
Again, not a genius idea, but at least you can control what’s in the mix. Various nuts (peanuts, almonds, etc.), granola (see above), raisins, craisins, chocolate chips…
What are some of your favorite snacks that you always have handy and ready to go?
I love the idea of the granola and trail mix! Thanks!