Indoor P.E. Games for Your Homeschool

This time of year it is really difficult to stay active with the kids especially when it is far too cold to go outside. Here are a few indoor P.E. ideas to try in your homeschool this winter.

~Have fun dancing together. For example, hold a dance marathon. Teach the kids a few dance moves like the Mash Potato, the Swim, or the Twist. See who can dance for the longest time. Or try teaching the kids different kinds of dances such as line dancing, hula dancing, the waltz, swing dancing, or salsa.

~Play Silent Ball. Use a soft ball (the “splashers” balls work well for this). The ball has to be tossed to another person and make it around the room without any noise being made. No one can talk or giggle. See how long you can keep the ball moving.

~Make an obstacle course in the living room. Include something like a “balance beam”. (You could put a masking tape line on the floor for that.) Make a tunnel to crawl through with blankets hung over a couple of chairs. Make a space for the kids to roll across the floor a certain distance. To make it even more fun, let the kids design the obstacle course!

~Thanks to Geof Nieboer for the fun indoor game, Sock Wrestling. His website, Games Kids Play, has the rules for a larger group. In “sock wrestling” the goal is simply to get your opponent’s socks off. For the homeschooler with only a few children, I recommend letting each of your children “sock wrestle” against a parent. They could also”sock wrestle” each other or a friend if you feel comfortable with that.

~Make or purchase your own beanbags. Play Tic Tac Toe or play a traditional beanbag toss game to  accumulate points, for example. Or try a “beanbag race”. Here’s how to play. Place a bucket on one end of two lines. Place a large pile of beanbags at the opposite end of the lines. Have each child place a beanbag on his/her head and walk to the other end of the line keeping the bag balanced on his/her head. Place the bean bag in the bucket and hop on one foot to get another beanbag. The winner is the child with the most beanbags in the bucket.

~Play balloon volleyball. Set up something as the net and play according to regular volleyball rules. Have fun jumping and playing this living room friendly version of volleyball.

Have fun with your children indoors this winter!

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