Games that get kids moving
By Catalogs Editorial Staff
Here is a list of games that get kids moving for health and for fun
Childhood obesity is no laughing matter and is a real problem in the United States. There is very little doubt that this problem is at least exacerbated by the fact that quite a lot of the activities kids love to do these days involve them sitting at home at watching a screen flicker. Whether talking about using a tablet like the iPad or playing video games, kids are not getting a ton of physical activity. Even video game systems that claim they are working to get kids up and active aren’t getting the job done.
Luckily for you there are plenty of games that get kids moving. Quite a few of these games are fun enough that young people will actually forsake the Xbox or the Playstation because they realize that running around and getting the heart beating is enjoyable. Once you introduce kids to these activities, they will not want to play anything else.
Tag
There is no more basic and yet more fun game to play that gets the body moving more than good old tag. Almost everyone knows the rule of this particular game. Someone is it and they are tasked with chasing someone down and touching them. When that touch is made, the person who got touched is now it. That person in turn must chase other people down and tag them. This particular game can lead to hours of fun depending on how it is played and how many people are playing it.
The best part about this game is there are literally hundreds of different variations of the game so that it stay fresh. Freeze tag is one iteration that has gotten quite popular. You can also add things like a home base that kids are supposed to reach and that will then keep them from being tagged, at least for a short period of time.
Flag Football
If you want to have a game that will get the kids running around, but you also want to have some structure, then you can try flag football. This game is identical to the tackle version, only not nearly as rough.
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Instead of trying to tackle someone to the ground, you simply pull their flag. This has the same effect as being tackled, but no one is going to get a concussion or any of the other injuries that come along with being hit and hit hard. This game has the added bonus of teaching children the rules of football so that they might eventually move onto the real thing if they truly enjoy the game.
There is another version of this game, known as two-hand touch football if you don’t have flags available. The rules are the same in that you don’t actually tackle anyone but tag them instead. The only problem with this version is that some kids can take it too far and tag a little hard.
Ping Pong
Tag and flag football are good games if you have a lot of open space and the weather is nice. If you want to stay indoors and get the kids moving around then you can go with something like Ping Pong or “table tennis.” Some people might think that there is too much standing around to get really active, but those people haven’t played a serious game of Ping Pong.
Kids will be running from one end of the table to another and working up a good sweat. The best part about this game is that there are table tennis sets that can be placed on a dining room or kitchen table if there isn’t enough room for a dedicated Ping Pong table.
Duck-Duck Goose
This is another oldy and a goody that doesn’t require as much space as tag. The kids sit in a circle and one person goes around the circle chanting duck, duck until they choose a child and say goose. That child is then supposed to get up and chase the person who is it. If they reach them before reaching the space the child was sitting then the chaser wins the round. The nice thing about this is the kids aren’t supposed to be running all over so it requires less room.
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