1. Follow the leader
“We have what’s called a power hour in our house,” says Sarah Duyker, a Vancouver-based mom and Bar Method instructor (a class that combines winter activities with interval training and isometrics). “We’ll all be firefighters or superheroes and take turns as a leader or “fire captain” and face each other through drills like putting out a fire, climbing a ladder (aka stairs), and navigating tunnels.” Difficulty is determined by the timing of each round.
2. Building the right fort
No playground? Don’t worry—turn your living room into a castle and encourage your warriors to climb through the fort. “Parents have to be ready to play, too,” says Nicole Christine, a mother of three from Abbotsford, British Columbia, who uses furniture, blankets, and pillows to build her castles. “We’ll dress up in Halloween costumes and pretend we’re fighting imaginary creatures,” she says. (We make boxes and tents, too.)
3. Pick up sticks
“A rainy day certainly doesn’t stop a great family game of miniature sticks,” says Jolene D’Entremont, a yoga instructor and mother of three from Halifax. A basement game typically has one parent guarding the net, two kids fighting for the ball while the other parent plays referee (you can take turns). Push furniture aside and remove all breakables; the basement is the place to be. “We have black marks and scratches on the walls to prove it,” Jolene adds proudly.
4. Get the game
It doesn't have to be Video games are vice“The new generation of active video games involves more body movement, which increases calorie expenditure,” says Jean-Philip Sharp, a senior researcher in the Health and Obesity Biology Research Group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa. Choose games that engage the entire body, such as Adrenalin Misfits (Kinect) and Dance Dance Revolution (Wii), and make sure you have enough room to move around to maximize calorie burn. However, studies show that kids eat more while playing video games, so be sure to swap junk food for healthy snacks.
5. Explosion camp
Amanda Driscoll, a mother of two from Peterborough, Ontario, sets up stations for her kids in the basement. “We do sit-ups, I teach them yoga, or my husband takes turns with the kids. It’s a crazy workout,” she says. Other options: Try one minute of each shuttle run, jumping jacks, and kneeling, and count how many kids can jump in 60 seconds. Set a timer, and when the buzzer sounds, move on to the next station.
6. Dance and scream party
“We love music and silly dances,” says Michelle Paradis, a mother of two and founder of Calgary’s Baby Push Dances, a mother-and-child dance club. “The kids love it when we push them around, dunk them, and bounce them around.” Up the fun factor: Turn off the lights and have a dance party in the dark with torches and glow sticks.
7. Chase game
You can't beat a game of chase, especially with boys. Add a pre-chase countdown to build anticipation (this way they learn their numbers too) and make a monster out of it to make it even more fun. Rrooaarr! As the kids get older, move on to tag games.
