The 2020 Olympic Games are starting in Tokyo tomorrow so let's bring some Olympic fun into your living room!
I recently had the honour of providing a Kids Mini Olympics School Holiday program @CorioVillage. It was a fantastic 5 day activation program with 3 sessions per day full of fun, Olympic themed activities. The activities were simple yet fun and easy to implement at home. So, I thought I'd share some of them with you so that you can run your very own Family Olympic Games.
Sprint Like Usain Bolt!
Mark out an area to be your track, it might be outside or inside, you want about 7-10m length and 2m or so wide. Place a marker (i.e. a cone or chair) at the end. Divide your family into two teams. The aim is to run as fast you can up to the end maker, touch it and return to tag your team mate, it's then their turn.
2. Hurdles
If you have some kids hurdles * place these out on your 'track' about 0.5m apart. If you don't have hurdles consider using shoe boxes or plastic containers you want them to be low enough to easily hurdle over. The race is the same relay style but this time over the hurdles touch the end marker before returning over the hurdles to tag your team mate.
*Kmart have got a great range of inexpensive fitness items including hurdles, cones, balance beams and more.
3. Long jump
Still on your track, this time you are going to take a run up and when you get to 1m out from your end marker you will pause and complete a broad jump, using your arms to assist see how far you can jump, touch your end marker, run back and tag your team mate.
4. Surfing
Did you know that surfing is one of the new Olympic sports this year? Now, you may not have the surf within your 5km radius but that doesn't mean you can't have some fun pretending. On your track this time you will need a boogie board if you have one, two is even better for relay. If you don't have a board pretending is fine use a piece of cardboard instead! You are going to hold your 'surfboard' like a surfer, under one arm, run up to your end marker, put the board down, hop on it on your stomach, paddle your arms 1,2,3,4, Jump up into a surfer's squat position, arms out, pick your board back up, tuck it under your arm, run back and pass it on to your team mate.
5. Gymnastics Balance Challenge
We all know gymnasts need great balance how good is yours? Standing with your feet together, tip over from the hips, so that your upper body is parallel to the floor, at the same time extend one leg out behind you trying to be long and flat from your toes through to your head, arms out for balance. The person who can hold this post the longest without wobbling or falling over wins!
6. Swimming
So you may not have a pool but again we can pretend! Lie on your front, on an exercise mat or the floor, arms straight in front of your head, lift your opposite arm and leg off the ground, making a kick like action with your leg and paddle your arm through, continue alternating left arm/right leg, right arm/left leg.
How did you go?
Tomorrow's post is going to focus on some team sports, so have a look at home and see if you can find some tennis rackets & balls, hockey sticks, soccer balls and basket balls.
Kmart has great mini versions which are perfect for trying out different drills at home.
Take a look at Kmart online.
Comments