active play

DIY Backyard Obstacle Course for Your Kids

Get kids active and outdoors with a do-it-yourself (DIY) backyard obstacle course. Obstacle courses build important gross motor skills, develop muscles, develop coordination, help motor planning, increase endurance, increase confidence, basically, all the benefits of outdoor play and physical activity that you already know about. Let each of your kids (or their friends) invent a […]

Kick the Can – Backyard Version

Recently, my mom told my kids about playing “Kick the Can” as a child – how the neighborhood kids gathered at dusk in the street. One child guarded a coffee can while the others hid in the shadows, waiting for a chance to kick the can. But playing in the street now days is more […]

DIY Huge Hula Hoops

The hula hoops arrived last week, specially made from sprinkler tubing and made extra big for easier hooping. Look at these HUGE hoops — pink and purple for the girls and yellow for us! (They’re also dancing along to last week’s VBS CD while hooping.) Jeff’s the president of the Colorado Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and […]

Movement Matters for the Brain

Guest post by Nikki Crouse, mom and fitness expert. First of all, let me be clear about the fact that I was never the kid who moved gracefully and was usually one of the last people picked when teams were divided up in gym class. I tripped over invisible lines and, when I was brave […]

We Need Playful Children

by: Megan Rosker, mom, writer, teacher and education advocate. The everyday monotony of life can pull a mom and dad down, allowing them to fall out of touch with their playful side, the side they naturally exhibited as children. However, while our role is to now be responsible to our families, we also have a […]

An Outdoor Family Game Called Boochie

Try Boochie by Gameright to encourage your entire family to play outside. Boochie is our family’s favorite outdoor, active game – both kids (now 6 and 9) can play it for at least three color rotations. See this large orange ball? Throw it somewhere in front of your group. To start playing, each player chooses a color […]

Jungle Jive, Balance and Laugh Game

Ravensburger’s Jungle Jive gets the whole family moving with crazy egg balancing. Start with a beginner level of difficulty and work up to intermediate or advanced, choosing from 36 exercises. My friend, Jaymie, borrowed this game for the weekend and loved it. Her only suggestion was to include more activities for beginners. Successfully balance the egg […]