Meriter and Physicians Plus are proud to partner with non-profit organizations like Tri 4 Schools to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles! Although the weather is getting warmer, don’t let those April showers slow you down. Here are some ideas to keep your family active indoors on those rainy days:
- Have a dance party. Kids love music and it’s always fun (and often funny) to get a groove on with mom and dad. Pull out some of your old favorites for dancing to change it up a little.
- Follow the leader. Explore the whole house and mix it up. Add in some exercises in between those funny walks and use those stairs if you have them. Be sure to take turns with who gets to be the leader.
- Balloons. There are so many fun things to do with balloons and they are safer, and less likely to damage anything, than balls for indoors. Play the “keep the balloon up” game and try to prevent the balloon from hitting the floor. Add extra balloons to make it more challenging. Write mini-challenges, such as “Do 30 jumping jacks” or “Run up and down the stairs 5 times,” on little slips of paper and slide them into the balloon before you blow it up. Let your kids pick a balloon to pop and then they have to do what’s inside.
- Scavenger hunts. Kids always love this creative indoor activity. You can adjust your clues to be more challenging for older kids and feel free to add in some “exercise” clues (Run in place for 60 seconds, then …). Try this one from the American Heart Association!
- Hot spot stations. Set up stations in a larger open area for your kids to rotate through every 30-60 seconds. Have instructions at each station telling them what to do such as run in place, sit-ups, dance, jumping jacks, hula hoop, etc. You can use old milk jugs filled with some water for weights if wanted. For older kids, encourage them to keep track of repetitions and aim to improve.
- Use your garage. If you have a garage, leave the cars parked outside for a few hours and use the open space for activity. Use empty boxes to set up goals for a mini soccer game or try to throw balls into the boxes for points. You can use chalk to make hopscotch or even blow bubbles for your kids to run around and pop.
- Ask your kid for ideas. Sometimes, they have the best ideas for fun and are more likely to want to participate if it’s something they helped with. Try to keep an open mind and as long as it’s safe, give it a try.
We also encourage you to check out the Kids Formula for Good Health to teach kids easy steps to take in order to live their healthiest, happiest lives. Choose one or two suggestions from the Kids Formula for Good Health to try out with your family! Keep in mind, anything you do today that was healthier than yesterday is a step towards good health.
Together, Meriter and Physicians Plus work as a team to help improve the health of our community. Meriter, a comprehensive health care system, is dedicated to providing coordinated care through its clinics, hospital and home care services. This year, Meriter Hospital was recognized as one of the nation’s Top 100 Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics™. Physicians Plus is a nationally recognized health insurance company focused on providing high-quality products and services to its members and the community. Physicians Plus meets rigorous standards for consumer protection and quality improvement to maintain Excellent Accreditation Status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
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