Whether you’re trying to encourage your family to become more active or to spend more time together, these family activities are a great option for all ages.

Go for a walk.

While walking may seem a bit mundane at first, there are many ways to tailor it to your family. You can go for a challenging hike in a nature preserve. In winter, find some snowshoes and wander through the freshly fallen snow. Even if your family doesn’t enjoy intense physical activity, simply go for a walk in a scenic location and have a photo scavenger hunt.

Play with a frisbee in the park.

Regardless of if you are having a structured game of disk golf, intensely playing Ultimate Frisbee, or just tossing your frisbee back and forth, this is an easy type of exercise to incorporate multiple people. Playing frisbee games will give you some fresh air, get you to move around a bit, and work on your hand-eye coordination while having a great time with your loved ones.

Just Dance it out.

Just Dance has been around since 2009 and it is a great bonding experience for friends and families alike. While you can always create your own dance moves around your kitchen, this game saves the guesswork and allows you to just get moving!

If you don’t want to pay for the game or the console, use my brother’s trick of finding screen recordings on YouTube. While you may not be able to compare scores, your family can still have a great night of fun for free!

Create a stretching challenge.

Creating either a group or solo stretching challenge is a great way to motivate your family to move more. This is a great regular exercise activity to do regardless of if you’re living in the same house or not. If you are living in the same house and you have the space, start stretching beside each other, and don’t forget to have fun with it! This fun flexibility challenge will increase their range of motion and get them moving more.

Have a hula hoop contest.

Your contest can be whoever can keep their hoop up the longest or who can do the coolest trick. If you’re looking to get started hooping, the Hula Hoop Circus can offer you some tips!

Play a game of soccer.

All this requires is a soccer ball and a little bit of space and is great to play with friends and family. Try to find a position for everyone, regardless of skill level. If you want to spice it up, try making it a three-legged soccer game or use an oddball to play. It truly does not matter who wins or loses, but rather that everyone is enjoying themselves.

Just keep swimming

Have a solid splash and make a day of it. Use pool noodles to float around or have an intense game of water polo. Put on your own synchronized swimming routine or race each other around the swimming pool. Get wet and have some serious fun.

Host your own Olympic Games.

Make a list of several activities you think your family would like to do. They can be as silly or as serious as you like, such as running a race, holding a spoon with an egg in it in your mouth, or they can be more traditional, like a relay race around the house. Whichever you choose, though, make sure to have awesome prizes for the winners to honour the spirit of the games!

Get a set of mini hockey sticks and let the game begin!

In Canada, it’s not uncommon to find a set of mini sticks in someone’s basement. Dig them out and host a mini-hockey tournament. This is a great bonding activity, since almost anyone of any age can play, though, be careful around the very young and old. While you can make up your own rules to play, here are the best unofficial rules to keep the game safe and fun!

Create a family garden.

If your family prefers a more sedentary lifestyle, that’s okay! Building a family garden together is a great way to incorporate more movement into your daily routine. Gardening is a great chance to build strength, squat, and walk around. Allow everyone to take care of a section or a task, and you’ll find your family bond blooming in no time!

Gardening has the added bonus of being able to add fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to your meals. Think of how proud you will be to eat a nice rhubarb crisp or ratatouille from your own garden.

Regardless if your family is big or small, it’s never too late to encourage more activities together to promote overall family fitness and health.

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Written by Kayla Willsey

Updated June 17, 2021