FitBall with free printable
At my house, we love to play. The more active the play, the better for us. (largely because that means the more likely we are to get a full night’s rest because the babies are worn out) 😉 One of the ways we like to play is with a game called FitBall.
My friends (especially the ones with little kids) are probably tired of hearing me talk about FitBall. My girls love it so we’ve used it as birthday party favors, an activity to share at their daycare, and gifts for friends. The idea couldn’t be simpler.
- Buy a beach ball. (the DollarTree has them now that the weather is warming up)
- Using a Sharpie, write different activities that your child can do all over the ball. Ex. run in place, touch the sky, do 5 burpees, etc
- When you play, stand in a circle and throw the ball to someone. Whatever prompt lands closest to their right thumb is the task they will perform. (or play it so that the whole group does whatever the player lands on) Then the player tosses it to someone else.
My kids are REALLY little, so I love this as counting practice, a chance to identify colors, and an exercise in following directions. Put on a little music and it’s that much more fun.
Customize the ball based on activities that your child knows, likes, and can do. Here are a few more of ours to give you some ideas:
flex (my girls love to show off their muscles)
sing head, shoulders, knees, and toes
do 5 jumping jacks
twist
gallop
jump like a frog
yoga (my toddler has 1 yoga move and loves any chance to do it)
flip (she also thinks she’s a gymnast)
log roll
crab walk
bear crawl
do 3 sit-ups
You can also use it as a fun warm up or workout for adults, just alter your list accordingly.
Here is a free printable for Fitball. This whole project will cost you $1 and about 10 minutes, but I promise it’ll be one your kids as for again and again. So, go play!
Big thanks to MakingHealthieRDecisions.com for the original inspiration. Our version of FitBall is adapted from here: http://makinghealthierdecisions.com/2014/12/12/diy-fitball-a-fun-fitness-activity/
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[…] FitBall: Or make your own game out of a beach ball. Write active tasks that your loved ones can do all over the ball. Toss it up and whatever tasks is closest to the player’s left thumb is the task you do (you the player or you the whole group). Read more about it here. […]