Games play a vital role in the overall development of a child and it is recommended that they should devote at least one hour a day to physical activities (Source). Now, if you are looking for fun ways to increase physical activities for your kids, then gym game is the answer. The gym game is a fun way to improve fitness and promote teamwork among kids. Here is a list of the best gym games for your kids.
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The Gym Games Kids Will Never Take Break From
Want to put your empty gym to good use? Here is a great deal. The free space of the gym can be well utilized by playing creative and fun games with kids. To ensure that your group of munchkins enjoy the gameplay, you must have a rough idea of the details. These physical activities for kids can be used as therapeutic recreation, fun games, or youth group games. What are you waiting for? Check out the list of best of the gym games kids can enjoy.
The Blob Tag
Beware of the monster coming! Oh boy, funny and entertaining as hell. In this game, firstly, designate the boundaries and assign the blob’s role to one or more children depending on the size of the group. Now, the objective of this blob monster is to devour everyone in the way. So, whoever comes in his way has to join hands with it and thus becomes part of it. However, if there is a breakage at any point in the tag, the free kid will beat the monsters. Isn’t it amusing? You bet it is. The winner is the person who remains untouched by the blob monster till the end. Therefore, if you love your freedom, keep running from this blob monster.
Garbage Ball
This is the most fun-loving gym game ever. The interesting thing is, it never goes out of trend. Find a rectangular area, and draw the line at the centre. Now to play the game, you can use anything like sock balls, rubber chickens, wads of paper, koosh balls etc. As the name suggests, the kids have to throw these items in another team’s court but not hurt one another. Now, players have to throw the items until they get the signal to stop, or you can also use music, so the kids will stop throwing when the music ends. The team which has the least amount of garbage on its sides wins the game. Want to play more? Just divide the garbage and start throwing. The spirit to be on the clean team is what makes this game a perfect gym game for kids.
Hula Pass
Looking for an easy-peasy game for the P.E class? Then Hula Pass is one of the best active games for kids. Not only is it easy to play, but it also encourages teamwork at the same time. In this game, all the players hold hands and pass the hula hoop to the next person after stepping through it. Now, you must be thinking, “But, I might get tangled that way!” Oh, yes, that’s the challenge. You see, the goal of the game is to get the hula hoop circulated to everybody without breaking hands. If you find that quite easy, you can make it a bit more challenging by setting the time limit for the circulation of “fun-ring”. Not only the game will get interesting, but you will also know which of the kids is your “twinkle toes”.
Battle Ball
If your group of kids is sporty and seeks adventure in everything, Battle Ball will be a thrilling gym game for them. Split the group into two teams and give a soft throwing ball to each of the students. At the centre court, place a large exercise ball. The game’s object is to shift the exercise ball to a pre-set scoring line of the opposite team. However, you can only move it by throwing softballs at its surface. Also, the players are not allowed to cross the centre court, and they will be rewarded negative points if they attempt to hurt the other players. Exciting? Oh, yes! With a challenge to push the exercise ball to the target and prevent others from getting hit simultaneously requires precision. Therefore, find out how good are your munchkins at hitting targets by playing this gym game for kids.
Continuity Ball
For this game, you would need at least three balls. These balls can be beach balls, or inflatable balls, or any light-weighted large ball. The players disperse over the playing area, and a ball is thrown in the air. The object of the game is not to let the ball fall down on the ground. Participants can use any part of their body to keep the ball from being dropped. Once the first ball is in the air, you can toss the remaining ones and prevent them from touching the ground. You can keep the count of the number of times the ball is kept in the air before hitting the ground. Isn’t it one of the best active games for kids? Sure it is. You can boost up the fun by tossing more balls in the air.
Drag the Body
This gym game is not only a good physical activity for the kids but also great for developing their muscular strength in kids. As the name suggests, the gym involves dragging and a whole lot of laughter along with that. Foremost, find a couple of blankets and divide the group into two teams or more according to the group’s size. Now, one kid from each team lies down on the blanket. The rest of the respective team’s members have to drag the body from one end of the gym to the predetermined finish line. Each team races with another to reach the destination. The drag ride is full of laughter and excitement throughout the game.
Moreover, you can raise the bar of fun by increasing the number of kids on the blanket and more draggers to pull them.
Spin and Run
If your group of kids have missed baseball, this one’s the right pick for you. Kids are always jumpy and excited, and if you add the concept of scoring to it, it can get really fun. Basically, spin and Run is a simple race enhancing the physical activity. However, there is an athletic touch to it. Firstly, the player has to hold a baseball bat or broom in the air. Now spin the bat in a circle ten times while keeping an eye on its end. Now, the kid has to race to the finish line. This running and racing develop an athletic spirit in the kids. A lot of fun and silly laughs should follow till the end. Who runs faster? Who spins the heavy bat without fail? Tons of amusement and chuckles will follow the game. Want to learn baseball? Go through this.
Prisoner Of War
To develop the skills of coordination amongst children, Prisoner Of War is the best active gym game for you. To begin with, divide the game into two teams and find a spot for prisoners. You can either designate an area or use a chalk box if you’re playing outdoors. Each team selects one member from their own team to be the prisoner of the opposite team. Now the teams line up and aim to free their teammate from the prison. However, rescuers can rescue only one person at once. If tagged by the opposite team member, the rescue will also become the prisoner and must go to jail. The concept of rescuer and prisoner makes the gym game more enthralling to the kids.
What Time Is It, Mr Wolf?
When it comes to active games for kids, this is the best choice to keep the kids fit and active.
One kid takes Mr Wolf’s role and stands at one end of the wall with its back facing the room. The remaining kids stand on the side of the opposite wall. Now, all the kids ask in unison, “What time is it, Mr Wolf?” and by the time Mr Wolf responds, the children take steps closer to him. However, after answering the question, Mr Wolf turns back and chases the kids back to the wall. If anyone gets tagged before reaching the end of the opposite wall, it becomes Wolf as well. The equilibrium of the game soon shifts, with all the kids becoming wolves. All the chase and surprises make it one of the best active gym games for the kids.
Broom Hockey
If your group of kids miss their hockey practices, then Broom Hockey can help bring glee to their faces. The game can also be played in rooms with smaller spaces. However, you will need some brooms, tennis, rubber balls, and a couple of buckets or boxes to set the respective teams’ goals. It’s such a simple game that it can even be played with only two members. With the face-off in the centre, two goals are placed at opposite ends. Now, the player aims to hit the puck in the goal of the opposite team. If any of the players hold the puck with their hands or touch them with a high-stick or delay the game, they are assigned a penalty. As a penalty charge, the opposite team member gets a free-kick. If the group’s size is large enough, you can give the option if they want to be the goalie or the striker. Keep the score each time a goal is struck. All the rush and pace makes it one of the best active gym games for kids.
Pick Pocket Tag(Or Tail Tag)
Who does not love cat and mouse chase? Well, Pick Pocket Tag or, say, Tail Tag is something like that. Prerequisites for Tail Tag are such that you will need a few flags, and if they are not available, a couple of handkerchiefs will work just fine. As you can guess, the flag or handkerchief will be used as a tail to be chased. Players will have to tuck it in their belts or insert it inside their pockets. Now that everything is set, players will chase one another to collect tails while safeguarding their own. The one who collects the most number of tails is declared the winner. The thrill of getting as many tails as possible is what makes it the best gym game for the kids.
Hula Hoop Freeze Tag
Are your kids quick on their feet? Find out by playing Hula Hoop Freeze Tag. First, spread all the hula hoops all over the ground if playing outdoors. Now assign the taggers to freeze other kids. If the taggers touch the other players, they will get frozen and can escape only if touched by non-freeze participants. However, if the player stands in hula hoops, they can’t be frozen for ten seconds. Moreover, only one person can stand in a hula hoop at once, and if anyone is frozen more than three times, they become taggers as well. All the freezing and escaping makes it the best gym game for kids.
Run Rabbit Run
This is the perfect gym game for kids if you want to involve them in some outdoor sports. Run Rabbit Run will make your kids love the adrenaline rush. Basically, split the group into two teams, namely, rabbit and fox. Now, the rabbit team members stand in a line at one end of the area while the foxes are scattered all over the place. When signalled, the captain rabbit leads his family for a walk in the forest. The objective of the fox team is to devour the rabbits. So, when the head fox shouts,” Run, Rabbit Run”, all the rabbits run, trying to return to their territory. However, if the foxes tag anyone of the rabbits, it will also become the fox. The game continues till there are no “rabbits”.
Final Words
Nothing is more refreshing than playing games. When it comes to kids, they are ready to play almost every time. Therefore, we have mentioned some of the best active games for the kids that will bring smiles to their faces and increase their strength. Games like Drag the Body, Spin and Run, Run Rabbit Run are some of the examples. So, go through the list mentioned above and let the kids discover new adventures. Let us know if you like this article in the comments below.
