Get up and move! Fun activities, crafts, and snacks to get your body moving and grooving!

Today we’re covering a fun mix of both indoor and outdoor games, crafts, snacks, and other activities to get everybody up out of their seats and moving! We’ll try to include something for every age group.

Even though Spring hasn’t quite officially sprung yet, that’s okay -- we enjoy warm weather pretty much year-round here in Phoenix, so our outdoor activities don’t need to wait! (We’ve tossed in a few activities for a hot or rainy day, though, just in case.)

As long as we observe the rules of our current location (i.e. masks, social distancing, etc.), we can set up and participate in any or all of these activities whenever we like! Grab an adult for help and supervision and we can get started:

Indoor Activities:

1. Wall Football

With just a few art supplies and a blindfold, you're ready to play Wall Football (think Pin the Tail on the Donkey without the donkey -- and add a field goal)! Follow the instructions here for the game and be sure to play a few rounds with three points awarded for each successful goal. Tally it up and high five the highest score!

2. DIY Pom Poms for Game Day

Do you have some aspiring cheer squad members in your midst? Well, get them ready to motivate their team with this super easy DIY Pom Pom making craft for kids! You’ll only need about six items for this, plus adult supervision for the littlest cheerleaders (lots of scissor cutting involved here), and you’re good to go! If you don’t know any cheers? No worries -- Claire Heffron with The Inspired Treehouse ends this DIY with several fun ones you can use!

3. Move Like an Animal

Feeling wild? Follow this exercise instructor’s movements to guide your littles on how to move like an animal! She starts with a grasshopper, moves on to a beetle, and continues on with the bear walk. All of them are awesome exercises for any age! Wanna try some other animals? Jack Hartmann can show you how in his video geared toward younger kids. If you still haven’t had enough, follow Kendra K’s lead in even more animal moves for preschoolers!

4. Indoor Hopscotch

This game can be tailored to suit the age group you’re with -- customize it so it offers just the right amount of challenge! Like indoor hopscotch (with a sprinkle of Twister mixed in), it calls for coordination and patience. Throw in some prizes as they start to get more advanced with it to make it more fun and interesting!

This Monster Footprint Hop game is very similar and might be more fun for the smaller littles.

5. Tape Shape Game

This is an activity where you can create your own game off the top of your head, or follow the directions on the What Moms Love link.

What’s more? There are numerous uses for colorful floor tape in addition to measuring everyone’s longest jump. Make sure you peek at all the ideas on the blog.

You can also:

6. Groove It Out

Are you a good dancer? Show us your moves -- and get the kids in on it too! Shaun T and the Fit Kids Club will get everyone in shape, on the beat, and in the groove with energizing dance workouts like Groove It Out! You’ll have a great time and forget you're even working out. Just be sure to keep your water bottle and towel nearby and listen to your body. If you or your kiddos haven’t exercised in a while, take it slow and take lots of breaks. And, like Shaun T recommends, watch the video all the way through before introducing the kids to make sure everyone can do all the moves.

7. Obstacle Maze

This is a super fun indoor game if you have the right kind of tape available -- you don’t want to pull your paint off! Make sure you’ve got the right kind of tape (click into the blog for specifics) to create your maze. Depending on your kiddos’ age and learning level, customize your Obstacle Course. For example, you could start with a simple doorway and let them play and maneuver through the tape. Otherwise, for bigger kids, you can use a whole hallway or another setting as shown above. Make sure you set it up so they have to step over, crawl under, and use every muscle group to get through their obstacles!

8. Rainbow Fruit Platter

With all this movement, it’s important to get healthy fuel for your bodies! See what’s available in your produce section and make a tasty fresh fruit rainbow for the young taste buds in your group. Substitute as needed and add the dip if you like. This gem has been done many different ways (here’s one shaped like a butterfly, here’s some made into fruit kabobs, and here’s one with veggies tossed in for a St. Patrick’s Day plate)! A cup of plain yogurt with a dash of honey or maple syrup works too if you want to keep it simple.

9. Fingerprint Baseball

Is your group bummed out from a rained-out baseball game? Turns out there’s a remedy -- and it’s craft time! Have your kiddos gather ‘round the table for this simple project, Fingerprint Baseballs! You’ll only need 4 supplies, and the blog has pics to walk you through each step of creating this adorable artwork.

Want to make things double the fun for your crew? Bake up a batch of these baseball cake pops to serve when you’re done with your craft--just remember to brush your teeth (or at least drink a glass of water afterward!)

10. Bean Bag Bowl Toss

Think back to the decades of WGN’s airing of Bozo the Clown’s Grand Prize Game. Remember how that worked? If not, it’s a cinch to learn. The gist of it is: you just toss the ping pong ball into each bucket, getting a higher number of points each time, until you win!

In this case, you just set it up with a bucket or large bowl in the same way, use a clothespin or tape to number each one, and put a piece of colorful tape on the floor where contestants must stand to toss their bean bags. If you don’t have bean bags, you can grab them at almost any dollar store, make them yourself, or order them here. Give out prizes at the end if you want to make it extra fun!

11. Sports-Themed Sensory Bin for Toddlers

Grab a few handfuls of sensorially interesting sports-related objects, mix together with dried beans (you don’t even need to paint them!), dry rice, sand, or even water, and you’ve got a handy homemade sensory bin fit for the most curious of toddlers. Follow the instructions or get creative and make up your own Sports-Themed Sensory Bin for Toddlers! The only rule should be to make sure you only include objects that are non-toxic and (ok, maybe two rules) a responsible adult must supervise at all times to make sure nothing gets in little mouths.

If you’ve got a printer and want to take things down a notch before dinner or naptime, here are a few easy sports-related backup indoor coloring/activity pages for busy littles on Game Day:

Indoor Activities:

1. Balloon Tennis

Get ready for some Serena-level skills when you prepare your own racquets for a game of Balloon Tennis! This super easy craft and game can be played by all ages. Making the tennis racquets calls for some self-adhesive-tipped craft sticks (or get creative with whatever you have in your house -- like rulers and duct tape), a bag of balloons, a layer or two of paper plates, and whatever you like to decorate them with. (Crayons, markers, and stickers would probably work better than paints so you can leave out the drying time and get playing!)

Do you think your group might prefer a slightly different balloon activity? Print this free activity list for twelve more ideas on how to play with balloons.

2. Field Day Games

If your kids don’t have Field Day at school this year, why not have it at home? There are several games to choose from in this collection, including the Football Toss, Pool Noodle Baseball, Limbo, a Beach Ball Relay, and Ping Pong Ball Spoon Races. Just pick the ones you know your kids will love and get the supplies. Each one is described on the blog here, so you’ll know just what to do!

3. Outdoor Backyard Beach Ball Bowling

While this game could just as easily have been set up indoors (if you clear enough room, of course), we decided it’s more fun outside. This blog, calls for empty aluminum bottles for their Outdoor Beach Ball Bowling Game, which you can certainly use, or you can also use colorful sports cups like these using white sharpies to mark on them. (Chances are, if you have as many recyclables still left on hand as we do, you’ll have plenty of something you can use -- just try to avoid glass!) No beach ball around? No sweat. Anything inflatable that won’t cause damage if it hits something or someone should do the trick!

4. Easy Frisbee Golf for your Backyard

For less than $20, you can make a 5-goal Frisbee Golf Course in your yard. You’ll just need a few tomato cages, laundry baskets, frisbees or beach balls, and adequate yard space. Watch how in this video demonstration.

5. DIY Backyard Mini Golf

Who wants to practice their putt in the comfort of their own backyard? How about everyone? This thrifty guide does it on the cheap, too, by raiding the recycling bins for all the supplies you’ll need. Follow this wisdom from the Kix Cereal blog on how to create each hole and a few hazards for each, or give it a little sprinkle of creativity and make up your own.

6. Giant Bubble Bash

Make your own homemade Giant Bubble Recipe and see what you can do with them! If you’ve all the basics on hand, then you’re ready for a Giant Bubble Bash -- right in your own backyard! Need a bubble wand? Try this DIY to make your own. Some found making enough bubble fluid to fill a small child’s pool and a small hula hoop as a “wand” made huge bubbles kids could fit into themselves!

7. Hose Wall Murals

This one should be saved for a hot day -- which may be coming up sooner than you think since our area is known for its heat! Cool off your crew with a creative Hose Wall Mural! Just line the group up against any wall in any interesting height order (the mural will look better if you mix up heights) and then have each kiddo strike a pose and hold it. Then tell them to hold very still, close their eyes, and you quickly spray down the whole group plus the background behind them with the mist of your garden hose. Then have them step away and look back at their ‘mural’. So cool! Check out this video demonstration on how it's done. *Best if done when kids can wear their swimsuits or other clothing that dries quickly since they’ll be getting completely drenched with water. Be sure to have towels nearby too.

8. Picnic Table Chicken and Broccoli Tot Kabobs

Everybody needs to take a snack break sometimes! This is a yummy kabob blend for kiddos on Game Day, whether they like their veggies or not. And, depending upon their age, they can either help or assemble these independently. Instead of the traditional tater tots, these kabobs use broccoli and cheese tots. They are ready for the oven in 20 minutes, making 5 servings total, lots of vitamins and nutrients in each one. Serve these at the picnic table with cold water or fresh-squeezed lemonade and your favorite dipping sauce.

9. Flying Fish Spinners

These might be easier to make indoors depending upon the wind, but flying them will likely be more fun outside, especially if you’ve got an upper-level balcony or something similar to drop them off of (consult an adult on this, please).

As far as supplies, you’ll only need:

They’re surprisingly easy. Here is a quick video to show where to cut and how to fit together. Make these sports-themed by using football, baseball, or basketball paper.

10. Slackline

Let your littles build their balance and coordination with a backyard slackline! You’ve got many choices out there, but here is a good store-bought kit:

HearthSong’s 50’L Balancing Training Line is only $59.98 and comes with everything you need to set up your slackline outside -- all you need is the trees!

There’s another way if you feel handy enough to make your own -- save a buck following this guy’s DIY instructions on YouTube.

11. Crab Walk Soccer Game

This Crab Walk Soccer game gets rarely-used muscles into gear and is fun to boot! Divide your kiddos and their friends up into two teams (parents can join in for some extra competition!), then follow directions on the Ultimate Camp Resource Guide for the game. Can’t recall how to do the crab walk? Take a gander at the gal on the image above, she’s showing how it’s done. Be sure to stretch and get a drink when you’re done playing because this game is a great workout if done right!

At Jungle Roots Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics, we strive to provide the highest comprehensive pediatric and orthodontic dental care in a unique, fun-filled environment staffed by a team of caring, energetic professionals. We believe the establishment of a “dental home” at an early age is the key to a lifetime of positive visits to the dentist.

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