Sometimes it is the simple things in life that are the most fun and healthy!
I had my 7 year old niece visiting with me last weekend and she brought her brand new pink rubber ball with her. We went to our neighborhood schoolyard to play some basketball. But then I saw the big four square on the ground and remembered one of my favorite games as a child. Yup, four square.
I excited told her I used to be the four square champ when I was in elementary school (ok a little exaggeration but it got her excited to learn more about the game)! So I explained to her how to play but of course, we only had two people not four. I told her that was the great thing about the game, you could play with 2, 3 or 4 people following the same rules.
So after a few practice plays we began to complete. She had so much fun she invented a new game. When you hit the ball to the person in the other square, you had to try to hit the ball into the square so they would miss it. If they missed it that had a 5 second count to run and get the ball and get back into their square. There were two other kids in the yard watching us so I asked them if they wanted to play. Of course they did.
We had a lot of fun chasing that ball and trying to get back in the square within the count of 5. Of course the kids would all join in and count loud to see if the one chasing the ball would get back in time.
We laughed so much and believe me, we got a lot of running! But their little competitive spirits kept them wanting more.
My niece slept hard that night and so did I!
Being active with the kids can be really simple. And adding in their own creative ideas, you might be surprised how many versions of a game they can come up with. So grab a ball and have some fun with your child's version of 4 square!
Resources:
Printable - What is Being Active Worksheet
How To Get The Children Off The Couch And Get Moving!
Family Fitness Tips, Being Active and Fit (Spanish version)
Turn Off the TV Tips - Fun Activities for Kids (Spanish version)
email
print
share
tweet
0 Comments