Ideas for Active Play, with an Indoor Twist

Unpredictable northwest weather make spending time outside a challenge. But because the Y is for healthy living, we know how important it is for kids to get at least 60 minutes of active play every day. Try these fun ideas to get your family moving together, with an indoor twist!

Clothing Relay Races

Fill a laundry basket with different articles of clothing for each family member. On go, each player takes a turn running to the basket, digs to find an article of their clothing, puts it on, and then runs back to tag the next person on their team. This continues until all clothing has been put on. The first team to be fully dressed wins!

Variations

• Kids only playing? Have them dress in adult clothing to make it a bit harder to run back and forth. There will be tons of laughs!
• Make it more challenging by requiring an order to how you get dressed! Instead of finding any article of clothing, they have to find a specific piece each turn. 

Obstacle Courses

Painter’s Tape Course
Using painter’s tape, lay down different patterns including straight lines, zig zags, and dashes. For each pattern, identify a movement to match. Try side shuffles for zig zags or one-leg hops for dashes. Mix it up and let the kids help shape the course and activity.
 

Spy Course
Has your child always wanted to maneuver like a spy through a laser-beamed hallway making sure not to set off an alarm? In a hallway or stairwell using yarn or string, tape pieces of rope across the hall at different heights and angles, making some pieces tight and letting others hang loose. Then, have your kids maneuver their way through without hitting a laser beam (string)! Try these ideas, too!  

Indoor Bowling

Bring the bowling alley to your living room with ten empty water bottles or two-liter soda bottles and a ball! Line up the bottles on one end of the room in the shape of bowling pins and use the ball to tip them over. Each player gets two turns. While one is bowling, the other can be the pin attendant and remove the pins once they are knocked over.

Variation 

• Want to make this more challenging for older kids and adults? Add some liquid to the pins so they are harder to knock down.