The weather is getting nicer and we are able to get out more but parental burnout is real. Some days it can be hard to stay positive and motivated for your little ones let alone try to get anything that resembles exercise. Below are some suggestions. Nothing you and your family haven't done before but making sure to schedule active time daily will help with everyone's physical, emotional and mental health.
Wisconsin parks are a great resource and most have reopened. Go for a hike on a new trail. Do a scavenger hunt for flowers and items in nature (leaves, sticks, fungus, rocks, bugs, etc).
Fly a kite. If you don't have one check out this link to make one with things you have laying around the house.
Go on a picnic. Have your kids help make and pack lunch. Even toddlers can spread peanut butter and jelly. Give them a checklist of things to pack: blanket or sheet, sunscreen, napkins, hand sanitizer, water bottles, etc.
Go for a bike ride. Check out a new bike path in your area. (The picnic could come in handy here.) Turn this into a math moment. For older kids track you mileage on your phone or watch and the time you bike. Have them figure out how fast you were going. Little kids can count and track things. Similar colored houses, flowers, or flags for example.
Play a family sport together: basketball, baseball, football, soccer, Frisbee, or golf.
Climb a tree. use a tape measure to see how high they climb.
Play rainbow tag. Use the colors you see in nature to be the "safe" zone. Yellow dandelions, red flowers or berries, brown tree, purple violets or whatever colors you have around you.
Go for a walk, scooter or skateboard in your neighborhood. Again, you can count and group things that are similar. Count how many steps you take to get to the end of the block, per 4 segments of sidewalk or between similar colored houses.
Have a cart wheel contest or race each other. You could use a stop watch and learn about how clocks work.
Create active sidewalk chalk art. Alphabet hopscotch, sidewalk twister, 4 square, more ideas here.
I hope these activities will be useful to you and your kiddos and keep everyone moving. Inspired by the wonderful parks and beaches as seen in Goodnight Madison and Goodnight Milwaukee. This is a continued series of homeschooling activities based on the locations in the books. What are some fun ways you and your family have been keeping active during Covid-19?