Gym Activities For Kids
Here we go! In this blog post, I will share different ways to keep your kids physically active in your homeschool. I will also share a Biblically-based Health and PE curriculum for homeschoolers, along with Bible verses about our bodies. I hope you enjoy this blog post and learn something new as well.
The Danger of Limited Physical Movement in Homeschooling
While conducting research during my Ophthalmic Nursing studies, I came across an article about homeschooling that addressed how homeschool kids tend to have less respiratory strength compared to children in traditional schools. This really made me reflect on how I help my own kids stay physically active throughout the day. However, as I skimmed through the article, I realized that this does not have to be the case for a mindful homeschool family that prioritizes physical activity.
An article written by Tribby and Berrigan (2021) concluded that “a higher percentage of homeschool students report being physically inactive compared to public/private school students.”
This article as well as the one I mentioned before, is both alarming and sad, and it highlights the importance of parents being mindful of their children’s physical need for movement. However, let me emphasize that this does not have to be your experience.
Therefore, it’s a great idea to have a plan for your children’s physical activity. Let me share some of the simple things we do around our house (and elsewhere) to keep the kids physically active during the day. Read more below.
How to Keep Homeschool Kids Physically Active
- Model it: First, I want to address the importance of modeling physical activity for your kids. If you enjoy physical exercise and participate in different exercises or sports as a parent, your kids are more likely to be engaged in some form of sport or physical activity. They learn by watching what you do. Older children might even exercise with you!
- Set up for physical games at home: This could include a trampoline in the backyard or a smaller trampoline inside the house. Hanging ceiling rings in your living room or on the porch can also be much fun! Other activities to enjoy around the house include jump rope, table tennis with tennis balls, and hula hoops. The possibilities for keeping your kids active are endless!
- Let them play: Young kids are natural movers, so you don’t really need to tell them to be active. Make sure you have a play area where they can engage in simple games with siblings or friends. They will naturally run around and engage in active play, which will raise their heart rate and strengthen their muscles. For example, my daughter loves to pretend she’s a cat or a dog. Other children might crawl like a bear or hop like a bunny, making exercise a fun and imaginative activity. (I haven’t seen my children do a crab walk yet!)
- Get outside every day: This can be a bit challenging during the winter, but outdoor physical activities can be done year-round if you commit to it. In winter, this could look like skiing, ice skating, building a snowman, or creating a snow fort.
- Get kids involved in sports: What do your kids enjoy doing? This might not be relevant for very young children, but older kids (around six and up) might enjoy participating in sports. Having a physical education teacher as part of your homeschooling routine can be a relief for you as a parent. Homeschooling moms should take advantage of all the help available to make homeschooling an enjoyable and fulfilling experience for both themselves and their children. Your child might enjoy joining a gym class or a small group with a PE teacher. This is also a great opportunity for them to socialize with other kids. Most importantly, make sure your child is having fun in the sport they choose. I wouldn’t recommend forcing a child into a sport they don’t enjoy. Sometimes kids aren’t ready to join a team (or small groups), and being physically active at home might be enough. Older kids are usually more ready for sports, and it’s easier to find something they’ll enjoy.
- Indoor activities: On a rainy day, when you’re stuck inside, it might be a good idea to focus on lesson plans rather than outdoor games. Older kids who can write will improve their fine motor skills while writing and working on problem-solving tasks. A great resource for kids of all ages is the Biblically-based Health and PE Curriculum for homeschoolers, which includes professional gym teachers. This program will help your children move while learning why and how to take care of their bodies. As students work through the curriculum, their hand-eye coordination improves as they read and respond to questions. Younger children may need some assistance from parents if they haven’t yet learned to read or use a computer.
- Visit the swimming pool: Look for a nearby swimming pool where the kids can have fun playing in the water. We’ve been regular visitors to the swimming pool when we’ve been in Iceland, and I can say that kids learn by doing. If they spend time in the water regularly, they’ll learn to swim (maybe not with right technique) and move around more confidently. You need to be very observant during this time, as they won’t learn to swim right away. You could also enroll them in swimming lessons, where they can learn proper swimming techniques, make friends, and participate in competitions. Swimming is just one of many fun exercises kids can do.
- Let the kids go on a scavenger hunt: Give them a piece of paper with pictures of items to find in your garden or nature, like insects, plants, trees, or birds. You could make them have a starting point and a finish line so they stay focused on the task. For ideas and worksheets, check out my blog post on spring worksheets for preschoolers.
- Go hiking together: Pack your bags and go on a hike with your kids. You could take a small tent if you’re planning a longer hike, or just go for a short one that won’t overwhelm either you or the kids. Tip: Make sure to bring snacks and drinks! The kids will definitely need them (and so will you, haha!).
It is very important that both YOU and your child thrive in your homeschooling life. If you find yourself struggling, I recommend going through my mini-course on Mastering the Art of Homeschooling with Joy.
F.O.R.M. – A Biblically-Based Health and PE Curriculum for Homeschoolers
What is F.O.R.M.?
- F stands for “Functional fitness,” where you will learn how to take care of your body so that it remains functional for a lifetime and moves well throughout your life.
- O stands for “Optimal nourishment.” Here, you will learn how to nourish your body in a healthy way. You will be able to enjoy your food and develop a proper mindset about eating.
- R stands for “Rest and recovery.” In this pillar, you will learn how to rest and recover, allowing your body the rejuvenation it needs. You will learn what rest looks like in the long term.
- M stands for “Multiplied maintenance.” This pillar teaches you how to maintain your health both now and in the future, enabling you to serve others to the best of your ability.
How is the teaching structured in the F.O.R.M. Curriculum (Elementary Edition)?
- 32 weekly animated lessons that integrate seamlessly into your homeschool routine. The lessons are about 8 to 12 minutes long.
- 8 lessons per quarter.
- A short assessment accompanies each lesson.
How will kids receive movement training?
- They will receive functional movement training through a short video accompanying each weekly lesson.
- No equipment is required for the kids.
- You can do the exercises before or after watching the animated video lesson.
How will they learn to fuel themselves in a healthy way?
- They will participate in “fuel challenges,” where they work with what they have at home to create simple, nutritious meals or snacks.
How can parents stay motivated and get the support they need?
- Parents will have access to live Q&A sessions and training with the F.O.R.M. team.
- They will receive support from an online community designed for parents, where they can interact with one another.
- You’ll also have the opportunity to impact other parents through this support group.
Will there be anything more offered?
- Yes! As a parent, you will gain access to a bonus support module.
- This module provides additional information and support to help you guide your child through this health journey.
- The bonus module will be regularly updated with new information and training sessions.
There are also middle and high school editions available. For more information, visit their website, where you can read more about the F.O.R.M. Curriculum and access all of these resources.
Bible Verses About Our Body
As you know, I love how the Bible teaches us about everything in life, including how to care for our physical and mental health. Below, I’ve selected a few Bible verses about our bodies and how God intends us to use and care for them. It’s fascinating to learn and follow God’s way.
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
I Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
I Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
I Timothy 4:8
For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
I Corinthians 15:44
It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
Philippians 1:19-20
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
I Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
Psalms 100:3
Know that the Lord , He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Romans 12:4-5
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Psalms 139:13-16
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
Matthew 6:25-26
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Great Quotes on Physical Education from Ellen White
“Children should not be long confined within doors, nor should they be required to apply themselves closely to study until a good foundation has been laid for physical development. For the first eight or ten years of a child’s life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, the mother the best teacher, nature the best lesson book. Even when the child is old enough to attend school, his health should be regarded as of greater importance than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded with the conditions most favorable to both physical and mental growth” – Education, p.208.1 (Ellen Gould White).
“Physical inaction lessens not only mental but moral power. The brain nerves that connect with the whole system are the medium through which heaven communicates with man and affects the inmost life. Whatever hinders the circulation of the electric current in the nervous system, thus weakening the vital powers and lessening mental susceptibility, makes it more difficult to arouse the moral nature” -Education, p.209.2 (Ellen Gould White).
“The child is not alone in the danger from want of air and exercise. In the higher as well as the lower schools these essentials to health are still too often neglected. Many a student sits day after day in a close room bending over his books, his chest so contracted that he cannot take a full, deep breath, his blood moving sluggishly, his feet cold, his head hot. The body not being sufficiently nourished, the muscles are weakened, and the whole system is enervated and diseased. Often such students become lifelong invalids. They might have come from school with increased physical as well as mental strength, had they pursued their studies under proper conditions, with regular exercise in the sunlight and the open air” -Education, p. 208.2 (Ellen Gould White).
“The student who with limited time and means is struggling to gain an education should realize that time spent in physical exercise is not lost. He who continually pores over his books will find, after a time, that the mind has lost its freshness. Those who give proper attention to physical development will make greater advancement in literary lines than they would if their entire time were devoted to study” -Education, p.208.3 (Ellen Gould White).
“By pursuing one line of thought exclusively, the mind often becomes unbalanced. But every faculty may be safely exercised if the mental and physical powers are equally taxed and the subjects of thought are varied” -Education, p.209.1 (Ellen Gould White).
Personal Application
What kind of relationship do you have with health and healthy living? Is it a positive or negative relationship? What health goals do you have, and what would it look like to nourish and raise healthy children in your home?
At the moment, we are in the middle of chaos in our home, as we are renovating our kitchen. Naturally, this means the kitchen is not very functional right now. I want you to know that you’re not alone in facing challenges to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There will always be something we can blame or use as an excuse for not living healthily. Yet, by committing to it, it is possible!
My hope, is that you find some physical activity that you enjoy as a parent and that your children also develop a positive relationship with physical activity, sports, and nature.
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