Include the following ideas in your child\u2019s after-school routine to encourage movement daily:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
1. Walk to and from school<\/h1>\n![\"\"](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
<\/figure>\nConsider walking to and from school with your child, distance allowing. It\u2019s a great way to ensure physical activity five times a week!\u00a0<\/p>\n
One fun idea: volunteer to lead a walking school bus<\/a> for your child and their fellow classmates! You and other parents in your neighborhood will walk to and from school with the group of students, creating a structured routine for movement.\u00a0<\/p>\nLooking for a reason to get started? National Walk to School Day is a holiday in October that motivates students around the country to walk, bike, or roll to school. As fall comes around,\u00a0 you can use this holiday as an opportunity to get kids excited about car-free alternatives to transportation.<\/p>\n
Learn more about National Walk to School Day here:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\nCelebrate National Walk to School Day on October 12th<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n2. Go on a family bike ride<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nPromote physical activity by getting involved in the fun! Organize a family bike ride in the evening. By participating in the bike ride yourself, you\u2019ll set a good example for your child.<\/p>\n
To further motivate them, you can have them decorate their bicycle basket<\/a> with flowers, yarn, and stickers. This way, they\u2019ll be excited to start pedaling so they can show off their jazzed up wheels around the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n3. Explore nature<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nAs soon as you get home and the backpacks hit the ground, mix things up by going to a nearby park or hiking trail! Getting kids into green spaces helps them learn about the world around them, get exercise, and has even been shown to reduce anxiety<\/a>, so make sure they\u2019re getting some outdoor time after school.<\/p>\nIn nature, you can encourage them to explore outdoor activities like nature journaling<\/a>, inspecting animal tracks<\/a>, and using leaves to create artistic rubbings<\/a>. This Everyday Darwin: Create a Nature Journal<\/a> is a great way to ignite their curiosity about the natural world and introduce concepts like botany and evolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n4. Play Musical Magical Hoops!<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nGrab some hula hoops and bask in the sunshine!\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Musical Magical Hoops<\/a>, each hoop represents a movement, whether it\u2019s jumping up and down, running in place, or doing the chicken dance. Once you start the music, kids run from hoop to hoop and do each motion until the music stops.<\/p>\nReady to play? Get the full set of instructions here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n5. Combine math and movement<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nWho said sports and math don\u2019t go together?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Use the following activities to combine physical activity with math practice:<\/p>\n
\n- Math Baseball<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n
- Math Marathon<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Hop in Order<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n
- Run Around the Numbers<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Kids will learn while they play!\u00a0<\/p>\n
6. Play Red Light, Green Light<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nGo back to basics with a game of Red Light, Green Light<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\nAssign one child to be the \u201ctraffic officer\u201d and have them hold up homemade signs representing the colors on a traffic light. This game is a great way to teach spatial awareness, develop reflexes, and get in some outdoor play time.<\/p>\n
7. Have an animal race!<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nGallop, crawl, and hop in an animal-themed race!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Have an Animal Race<\/a> in your backyard, and encourage your children to think of creative ways to move like different animals, including a dog, a frog, or a crab. While they\u2019re horsing around, they\u2019ll also move their bodies and get some essential aerobic exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n8. Play Builders and Bulldozers<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nAssemble two teams to play this construction-themed game<\/a>!\u00a0<\/p>\nAfter school, gather the neighborhood kids and assign one group to be the builders and the other to be the bulldozers. Using traffic cones, organize play into rounds, and have the builders protect the cones while the bulldozers attempt to knock them over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
9. Get active in your living room<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nKids have a ton of energy, and sometimes, the easiest way to get them moving is in the moment, even if that means you\u2019re at home.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have access to outdoor space or you simply don\u2019t have time to take them outside, you can still promote physical fitness in your living room!<\/p>\n
The following activities can easily be done at home:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- Animal Movement<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n
- Mindful Movement<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n
- Movement Card Game<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n
- Pop the Balloons!<\/a>\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
10. Dance!\u00a0<\/h1>\n<\/figure>\nGet up and groove with an after-school dance party!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dancing can be a fantastic physical and emotional outlet for children. Plus, dancing with your child is an opportunity to bond over shared interests and love of music.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To get started, simply turn on some of your child\u2019s favorite tunes and encourage them to move in whatever way feels natural for them. If they need some more guidance, turn on a YouTube video with instructions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If they really enjoy dancing, they can even host a Monster Dance Competition<\/a> for some of their friends, complete with prizes for the best and silliest dancers!<\/p>\n
\nDon\u2019t just sit there\u2014get moving! If you need more inspiration, explore the full list of movement-based activities<\/a> and outdoor games<\/a> in the Education.com Learning Library.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a full day sitting in the classroom, get your child up and moving!\u00a0 This back-to-school season, it\u2019s important for parents to make sure kids\u2019 bodies are just as active as their brains. According to the CDC, physical activity before and after school can help improve students\u2019 physical and mental health, and even boost their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2486"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2499,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions\/2499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Consider walking to and from school with your child, distance allowing. It\u2019s a great way to ensure physical activity five times a week!\u00a0<\/p>\n
One fun idea: volunteer to lead a walking school bus<\/a> for your child and their fellow classmates! You and other parents in your neighborhood will walk to and from school with the group of students, creating a structured routine for movement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking for a reason to get started? National Walk to School Day is a holiday in October that motivates students around the country to walk, bike, or roll to school. As fall comes around,\u00a0 you can use this holiday as an opportunity to get kids excited about car-free alternatives to transportation.<\/p>\n Learn more about National Walk to School Day here:\u00a0<\/p>\n Celebrate National Walk to School Day on October 12th<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Promote physical activity by getting involved in the fun! Organize a family bike ride in the evening. By participating in the bike ride yourself, you\u2019ll set a good example for your child.<\/p>\n To further motivate them, you can have them decorate their bicycle basket<\/a> with flowers, yarn, and stickers. This way, they\u2019ll be excited to start pedaling so they can show off their jazzed up wheels around the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n As soon as you get home and the backpacks hit the ground, mix things up by going to a nearby park or hiking trail! Getting kids into green spaces helps them learn about the world around them, get exercise, and has even been shown to reduce anxiety<\/a>, so make sure they\u2019re getting some outdoor time after school.<\/p>\n In nature, you can encourage them to explore outdoor activities like nature journaling<\/a>, inspecting animal tracks<\/a>, and using leaves to create artistic rubbings<\/a>. This Everyday Darwin: Create a Nature Journal<\/a> is a great way to ignite their curiosity about the natural world and introduce concepts like botany and evolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n Grab some hula hoops and bask in the sunshine!\u00a0<\/p>\n In Musical Magical Hoops<\/a>, each hoop represents a movement, whether it\u2019s jumping up and down, running in place, or doing the chicken dance. Once you start the music, kids run from hoop to hoop and do each motion until the music stops.<\/p>\n Ready to play? Get the full set of instructions here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Who said sports and math don\u2019t go together?\u00a0<\/p>\n Use the following activities to combine physical activity with math practice:<\/p>\n Kids will learn while they play!\u00a0<\/p>\n Go back to basics with a game of Red Light, Green Light<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Assign one child to be the \u201ctraffic officer\u201d and have them hold up homemade signs representing the colors on a traffic light. This game is a great way to teach spatial awareness, develop reflexes, and get in some outdoor play time.<\/p>\n Gallop, crawl, and hop in an animal-themed race!\u00a0<\/p>\n Have an Animal Race<\/a> in your backyard, and encourage your children to think of creative ways to move like different animals, including a dog, a frog, or a crab. While they\u2019re horsing around, they\u2019ll also move their bodies and get some essential aerobic exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n Assemble two teams to play this construction-themed game<\/a>!\u00a0<\/p>\n After school, gather the neighborhood kids and assign one group to be the builders and the other to be the bulldozers. Using traffic cones, organize play into rounds, and have the builders protect the cones while the bulldozers attempt to knock them over.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kids have a ton of energy, and sometimes, the easiest way to get them moving is in the moment, even if that means you\u2019re at home.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have access to outdoor space or you simply don\u2019t have time to take them outside, you can still promote physical fitness in your living room!<\/p>\n The following activities can easily be done at home:\u00a0<\/p>\n Get up and groove with an after-school dance party!\u00a0<\/p>\n Dancing can be a fantastic physical and emotional outlet for children. Plus, dancing with your child is an opportunity to bond over shared interests and love of music.\u00a0<\/p>\n To get started, simply turn on some of your child\u2019s favorite tunes and encourage them to move in whatever way feels natural for them. If they need some more guidance, turn on a YouTube video with instructions.\u00a0<\/p>\n If they really enjoy dancing, they can even host a Monster Dance Competition<\/a> for some of their friends, complete with prizes for the best and silliest dancers!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just sit there\u2014get moving! If you need more inspiration, explore the full list of movement-based activities<\/a> and outdoor games<\/a> in the Education.com Learning Library.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After a full day sitting in the classroom, get your child up and moving!\u00a0 This back-to-school season, it\u2019s important for parents to make sure kids\u2019 bodies are just as active as their brains. According to the CDC, physical activity before and after school can help improve students\u2019 physical and mental health, and even boost their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2486"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2499,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions\/2499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/evilstore.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Go on a family bike ride<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
3. Explore nature<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
\n4. Play Musical Magical Hoops!<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
5. Combine math and movement<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
\n
\n
6. Play Red Light, Green Light<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
7. Have an animal race!<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
8. Play Builders and Bulldozers<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
9. Get active in your living room<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
\n
10. Dance!\u00a0<\/h1>\n
<\/figure>\n
\n