Fun Summer Family Fitness Ideas

As an active mother, to an active family, I am always looking for fun and exciting ways to keep the kids entertained during the long summer days or on a rainy day.

I found this list and a cute kid-friend workout video by Natalie Heckert 

Who says fitness can’t be fun! 

It’s a great time to get together with your children to stay in shape. 

Here are some fun summer family fitness ideas so get up, get outside, and have fun!

1. Go to a local school track so that everyone in your family can walk and/or run at their own pace, and still be within 200 meters of each other. Make a game of it: map out a bunch of tracks in your area and try to go to all of them this summer. 

2. Find a safe place to ride and go for family bike rides. Rails-to-trails paths are awesome, safe, and pretty flat.

3. Go on family hikes at local state parks. Hit as many different trails and parks as you can. Save the maps so that at the end of the summer you can see all that you’ve done.

4. Go on walks together in your neighborhood, and then if you get bored with that, drive to other neighborhoods and walk around there. You’ll probably meet a bunch of new people and get some new landscaping ideas for your house (this may or may not be a good thing).

5. Go to your favorite swimming pool/lake/ocean and actually swim. Even flopping around in the water is good exercise, and it sure beats just lying there baking in the sun.

6. Sign your kids up for summer programs. The YMCA, city recreation centers, fitness centers, racquet clubs, sport facilities and schools have various day camps, classes and workshops that provide a variety of activities. They include sport like soccer and basketball to more nontraditional activities such as martial arts, gymnastics or table tennis. 

7. As a family, enter some local 5K run/walk events. Most events are put on for raising money for a particular charity or cause, and it’s a great way to hang out with other like-minded people.

8. Play Capture the Flag with your kids. They’ll absolutely love it! Kids love to have their parents play
with them and to see them act like kids again.

9. Do some simple exercise (push-ups, sit-ups, stretching) with your kids every commercial.

10. Rent canoes or kayaks and go out to enjoy some calm (or rough) water. Most rental kayaks are very stable and are made with inexperienced kayakers in mind. 

11. At home ideas: Keep a variety of games and sports equipment on hand. They don't have to be expensive an assortment of balls (soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, and playground), hula-hoops, and jump ropes can keep a child busy for hours.

12. Walking the dog to simply playing with it provide an opportunity for activity. The Internet has lots of sites that offer exercise, zumba, dance, kickboxing, pilates and yoga videos for kids to learn on their own. 

13. Local parks: You'll find basketball courts, tennis courts, football fields, baseball fields and soccer fields at area parks. Some offer more unique activities like Frisbee golf, croquet fields, horseshoe pits, miniature golf courses, and skateboarding areas. 

14. Other ideas: Bowling, laser tag, ice skating, roller skating, golf, in-line skating, canoeing, gardening, swimming, cycling or simply taking a walk are a few more simple ideas to keep your student active this summer.

Get up, get moving, and have some family fitness fun this summer!