20 Fulfilling and Healthy Activities for Kids

Finding healthy activities for kids isn’t always easy!

Sometimes you have to get creative and think outside the box of things you can do to keep things interesting.

Especially during the holiday and summer breaks when your kids are always begging for something fun to do!

How do you teach your children about health?

The best way to teach your kids about health is to be a model and actively participate in their activities.

Get your kids involved in active things around their community. These could fit your budget easily. Local community centers and places like Boys & Girls Club of America often have discounted or free programs and classes to get your kids active.

If you have it in the budget you can also look for paid classes, like karate classes, dance, or sports. 

Our charter school will help pay for some of our kids extra-curricular classes. So, if you have kids in charter programs make sure you check with your school to see what vendors are available for classes and what funds you can use.

How can I model health for my kids?

You don’t have to be the picture perfect version of health to model healthy habits for your kids. Just show them that being active and doing healthy things are fun.

Make a goal for yourself to get more active. Even if that’s something little like getting out of the house once a week for a walk. 

Incorporate more fruits and veggies into the family diet.

Do these fun activities for kids together with your kids…

1. Family Hikes- A quick internet search will lead you to hiking trails around your community. Most hiking trails I’ve found list a level of difficulty.  If you are just beginning try out an easy trail to get the kids out exploring!
2. Building a Snowman- We don’t get much snow in our city. But, we are within about an hour drive to snow and snowman building fun. This is a fun and healthy way to get the kids outdoors for some fun.
3. Raking/Jumping in Leaves- Why not have the kids help you rake up the leaves outside. We are still getting a ton of falling leaves and they are fun for the kids to jump in when the raking is over.
4. Build Blanket Forts- Stuck indoors? Building blanket forts is a way to get the kids active in the house. Just set out a few chairs and blankets, let them go wild building a fort. You can even put flashlights inside to make it more fun!
5. Visit a Zoo or Museum- I love going places where we can learn and my kids can run around. We have a season pass to our local zoo and are always going there for healthy activity.
6. Gardening- Start a garden outside with your kids. There are plenty of kid friendly plants that don’t take much effort to grow. We love planting flower seeds in pots together on our patio.
7. Family Yoga– Yoga is something our whole family can do and we love doing it together. Sometimes we will do 10-20 minutes before bed. It helps our kids to wind down for bed and get some exercise too!
8. Find a Big Grassy Hill– We have a big grassy hill by our house. People always take their kids to ride ice blocks down it during the summer. If the weather is nice it’s fun for the kids to roll down the hill. If you live where it snows sledding is an option too!
9. Family Race– Get outside and play with your kids. A good old fashioned race can be so much fun. 

   It could be as simple as racing to a tree or to the playground while at the park.

10. Dancing– Whether you are dancing around the house with your kids or enroll them in dance classes, dancing is a great way to get out excess energy. 

    See if your local community center or Boys & Girls Club has cheap or free dance classes for your little ones. 

11. Sports– Toss a ball around in the backyard or get your kids involved in community sports. Not only is this a healthy activity, but they are learning team building skills at the same time.
12. Cleaning– I know this doesn’t sound like a kids activity, but trust me, cleaning CAN be fun. Put on a song and see who can pick up the most toys before it’s over. Making it into a game can turn a chore into a fun activity.
13. Playing Music– We keep instruments around the house for us and our kids to play. Sometimes it’s fun to grab a harmonica, guitar, and some drums and have a mini jam session. These can be children’s instruments too.
14. Painting– It’s always fun getting out an oversized piece of white paper and some watercolors for our kids to paint at the kitchen table!
15. Biking– Much like hiking biking is a great way to get outdoors and bond with your family. We have some great bike paths near our house that are safe and family friendly.
16. Planning Healthy Meals– Get your kids involved in the meal planning by brainstorming some healthy meal ideas and asking them what sounds yummy. Go to the grocery store together to pick out ingredients and get them in the kitchen cooking up healthy meals right along with you.
17. Visit the Park– Our local parks offer plenty of activity for adults and children. My husband and I like to get right in the action with our kids, going down the slides with them and trying to swing across the monkey bars
18. Family Game Night– We’ve recently been working on building up our collection of games. We take turns picking out games to buy and every Friday night have a fun filled family game night.
19. Walking the Dog– Walking the family dog, if you have one, is a great way to get in activity daily. Your dog will be happier and your kids will learn the responsibilities of caring for their pet.
20. Planning Out Activities– Planning out fun family activities counts as an activity in itself. Set up a family meeting night where you talk with your kids about what family activities they want to do that month and what kind of activities they have been doing at school.
21. Create Family Goals- Make a list of family goals you can make together. These can be healthy goals, like going on a walk daily.

What are your favorite ways to keep your kids active and healthy? Do you have any family activities planned this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!