5 Indoor Physical Activities for Kids

December 13, 2023 byConnections Academy

3 min to read

For cooler climates, the fall and winter season bring cooler weather that often means more time spent inside. For online school students, too much indoor time can result in plenty of pent-up energy. Before they become restless and distracted, take some time to plan simple physical activities for kids so they can exercise their bodies and burn off that excess energy at home.

Just because it might be too cold for outdoor play doesn’t mean online school kids must remain inactive all day. You can easily bring online P.E. activities inside for active fun. Structured breaks for exercise and play are important for mental health and physical fitness—and can be excellent incentives to promote student motivation. Fitness activities for kids also provide a break in the online school day, so kids can return to their studies with a positive attitude and renewed focus. Try the indoor physical activities below to get the whole family moving this winter. You’ll set a healthy example and teach your student about the benefits of exercise.

5 Fitness Activities for Kids

1. Create Your Own Indoor Activity Trail

Encourage your student to move their bodies and participate in indoor P.E. activities by posting movement prompts throughout their learning environment or even throughout your entire home. Choose areas that are frequently visited by your student. Start by downloading these physical fitness trail signs. Print them out and cut them apart and have fun putting them up around your house.

Each trail sign describes a brief activity, such as “20 jumping jacks.” Ask your child to complete the activity each time they arrive at the sign location. For example, a sign on the refrigerator might ask them to “Do 15 lunges before opening the refrigerator door.” For a longer break, have your student “hit the trail” to complete the entire circuit of exercises.

Leave the signs up all day or just during a portion of the day. The download includes one blank sign so you can add or swap out exercises.

2. Game Idea: Don’t Let the Balloon Touch the Ground

Games are a great way to combine movement and fun for your entire family and encourage indoor exercise for kids. This is a simple one that only requires one thing: a balloon. Simply fill it up with air and have everyone try to keep it from touching the ground. Try playing with a timer—can you keep it going for 10 minutes? Or play with teams—who can keep the balloon from touching the ground the longest?

3. Family Dance Party

Get out those mid-day jitters with a full-on dance party. Dancing is a great way to get your entire body moving along with several other mental and physical health benefits. Put on your family’s favorite playlist and let those dancing feet move to the beat. Get your kids more involved by letting them make a special playlist with all their favorite songs.

4. Work Out with Online Games or Apps

One of the easiest ways to facilitate indoor P.E. is a quick internet search. You can find a variety of exercise and fitness channels and websites that offer free workouts suitable for kids. Check out some of these channels to find workouts that your child may like:

Nike Training Club app offers strength, endurance, yoga, and mobility workouts ranging from 15 to 45 minutes and is free until further notice.
7 Minute Workout app provides free, professionally designed workouts that can be done anywhere, anytime, with no equipment needed.
FitnessBlender.com delivers videos ranging from a few minutes to half-hour long on cardio kickboxing, toning the lower back, high-intensity interval training, and more.
SparkPeople is a great resource for ab/core workouts and boot-camp-style videos.
Exercise Routine has videos for Pilates, endurance, toning, and jump workouts.

5. Online Physical Education Class

If you have some space in a rec room or basement, try a few online P.E. activities indoors. You can also search fitness articles for students to find ideas for activities your kids may enjoy.

Learn more about online P.E.: “How to Do Physical Education Online.”

When you exercise as a family, remember that the benefits are more than just physical. You can all enjoy the rewards of stress relief and clearer thinking! By promoting indoor exercise for kids, you’re setting a positive example for your online student and their health.