Frozen. It might be my little guy's favorite movie of the moment. As the summer heats up, keep your kids moving with these 8 fun, Frozen-inspired fitness ideas. Best of all, you can easily find many of the items needed for the activities lying around the house or they can be purchased cheaply at the Dollar Store. I guarantee these ideas are easy and inexpensive, and your kids will have fun with the themed events. In fact, let these be the beginning of a Family Frozen Day, dedicated to all things Frozen!
1. Frozen Tag
One child is Queen Elsa and s/he can freeze other kids by simply touching them. Appoint a safe area called "North Mountain," such as a tree or chair, where they cannot be tagged. Give the child who is "it" blue gloves for a more Frozen feel.
(Optional) Materials needed: 1 pair of blue gloves (cleaning gloves work great)
2. Build a Snowman
Cut out three white circles to make a snowman's body, two black circles for eyes and one orange triangle for the carrot nose. Time your children to grab one piece at a time run over to the side of the house or fence, tape it up, run back to grab the next piece and repeat until all snowman pieces are taped up. Use a timer to make it feel more official. Other options include making this game into a relay event or having two groups of children compete against each other.
Materials needed: 3 pieces of white paper, 1 piece of back paper, 1 orange piece of paper, tape
3. Freeze Dance
Play music from the Frozen soundtrack for your kids to dance to. Kids have to freeze and stop dancing whenever the music is stopped or turned down. If they keep moving after the music stops, they must sit down until the last person is standing.
Materials needed: Frozen music
4. Break the Block of Ice
Place plastic toys into a shoebox sized plastic bin and fill with water. Freeze the tub of toys. Let your kids try to carve the toys out of the frozen block. (This game is best suited for children 6 years and older who can use plastic tools to carve out the ice.)
Materials needed: plastic bin, plastic toys from around the house, tool to break the ice
5. Summer Snowball Fight
Use crumpled up paper or rolled up white socks for a dodge ball-inspired game.
Materials needed: white paper crumpled up or a few pairs of rolled up white socks
6. Let It Snow
Blow up light blue and white balloons and use pool noodles to hit the balloons into big baskets or hula-hoops.
Materials needed: a package of light blue or white balloons, 2 pool noodles, 2 hula-hoops or baskets
7. Snowflake Hop
Draw snowflakes on at least 12 white paper plates. Place the plates on the ground. Children have to step or jump from snowflake to snowflake without touching the ground. Add other fun challenges to make this into a Frozen-inspired obstacle course.
Materials needed: 12 white paper plates (or more), marker to draw snowflakes
8. Snowman Bowling
Make snowman pins out of toilet paper, paper towel rolls or even white plastic cups by drawing snowman faces on the "pins." Use a white Styrofoam ball as Olaf's head to knock down the pins. Any other ball around the house will also work.
Materials needed: 6 to 10 rolls of paper towels or toilet paper, Styrofoam ball (or other ball)
Bonus: Snowman-infused water
While you are playing, don't forget to stay hydrated! Drink a "melted snowman," also known as water.
Create fun labels like "what snowmen do in summer" or "some people are worth melting for" and tape onto water bottles. Drop a carrot into the water for a melted snowman affect.
Work-from-home mom of two boys, Dana, is an employee wellness manager, yoga teacher, personal trainer and wellness coach. You can follow Dana on her blog, Sandbox Meditations, focusing on staying sane, healthy and mindful through kids and chaos., where you learn to find the OM, in your hOMe.
Photo: Snowflake Hop, courtesy of Dana.
