Kid-Friendly Partner Workouts

When life gets busy- often the first thing to go is the time we allocate to exercise. 

I know this on a personal level but when I did some research on the rest of the US, I was astounded by these national statistics:

Less than 5% of adults get their recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise and only one in three children are physically active each day- most spending upwards of 7.5 hours in front of a screen (about as much time as they get sleep). 

These numbers shocked me, but I understand why it is so common.

Life can get busy. Especially for a parent trying to juggle all the needs of a family. 

Although I am not yet a parent, there were two things I never wanted to sacrifice in my life: time spent with my family and time spent keeping up with my health.  

So, my philosophy has always been to combine them.  

Fortunately, I grew up in a large and active family. So, I always associated a time well- spent in being active with a loved one (or six). Me and my sisters were always outside- in the rain or shine (or blizzard). When we weren’t playing a sport, or in a dance lesson, or spending our summer days swimming for 10 hours straight, we would go on long family walks with our dogs. These were absolutely my fondest childhood memories.

In this environment I have always thrived.   

I love the energy and fun that a partner workout can add. It makes being active less of a duty, and more of a special bonding activity to look forward to.

As soon as I became an aunt, I found ways to include the new little ones into my workouts. My oldest nephew, Luca, would be up for anything, at any time of the day- so I can always count on him. Since the time he was born, I would do squats with him or baby yoga which gradually turned into races or push-up challenges as he got older. As of late, my oldest niece, Lyla, has been teaching me how to do handstands and splits. Although, 19 years my junior, she is my favorite of all inversion instructors.

The most fun I ever have working out is with my nieces and nephews. They definitely keep me young.

So, whether you are a parent, grandparent, older sibling, or aunt/ uncle, I suggest trying some of the following partner workouts. You and your little one will get a great workout and I promise, you will have some of the most fun and memorable times along the way,

The following are all tried and tested by me and my niblings (fun fact: this word is a catch-all for both nieces and nephews):

Baby- Friendly workouts:

• Hikes or walks with a front pack 

I love a good front pack. You are unrestricted, free to roam without a bulky stroller, and your workout gets some added intensity from the extra baby-weight

• “Weighted” squats 

You can bring out the front pack again or for added shoulder intensity- hold your baby out in front of you while you squat

• Park- Swing and Jump  

Am I wrong in saying that parks are usually only fun for the kids? Of course, you get joy out of watching the kids play but after five minutes of pushing a swing, you probably start to feel a little bored. I like to do jump squats in between each push. Complemented with a silly face- your kid will love this change up, as well.

Toddler- Friendly Workouts:

• Acro- Yoga

Try incorporating your toddler into a yoga routine, for some inspirations look up “Acro- Yoga” and try out some of the poses together. You would be surprised at how quickly kids pick up yoga. My niece started walking over to her mom’s yoga mat and doing downward facing dog at just 16 months!

• It tag 

Good ‘ole fashion catch- me- if- you- can

• Toddler catch 

Another classic- *safely* throwing your kid up in the air and catching them in a squat. We all know it is impossible (for the kid or the adult) to keep a straight face. Get ready for the baby giggles

• Plank or Pushup

Here, you can have your kid simply hold onto your back while you do a plank or for some additional fun, and dependent on your child’s skill level- let them do a plank on top of your plank (like below)

• Seated leg ups

Sit down on a couch and have your child sit onto your feet and hold onto your legs. Raise your legs up and down for a nice quadricep workout. The more the kid grows, the stronger you have to be.

Child – Friendly Workouts:

• Balance Beams

• Relay races

Once I had all the kids at an outdoor brewery (about 10 kids + my nieces and nephews) involved in a relay race. The kids and I had some great fun and got a good workout and the parents got to relax and enjoy their brews

• Jungle- Gym

Jungle- gyms are a great place to do some pull-ups, bar hangs, chin- up holds, or simply a monkey bar challenge: see how many times you can go back and forth on a set of monkey bars.

• Slack Line 

Now, this one you may not be familiar with. Slack-lining is like a balance beam created from a thin rope that you hang between two trees. It takes a lot of practice to be able to walk on one so a partner’s hand is definitely needed in the beginning.

• Cartwheels and Handstands

As I said earlier, my niece, Lyla, is a self- taught gymnast. She is my favorite teacher when it comes to inversions and always gives me cute and sound advice like “Wow that was an awesome cartwheel but next time try to get your feet more in the air.”

• Swim

This one is a family favorite in the summertime. I don’t think we get out of my sister’s pool for four straight months. Remember the game Toothpaste? Where one person picks a category like “colors.” Everyone else is at the other end of the pool and all pick their favorite color while the leader covers their ears (or goes under water). If the picker guesses their color- the two race to the opposite sides of the pool and whoever reaches the other side and calls “TOOTHPASTE” first wins.

• Rain dance

Rain never scared my family away. We actually enjoy playing in it when the weather is nice and given that there is no thunderstorms . Instead of being stuck inside on a rainy day, get a bathing suit on and grab some musical instruments or pots and pans and make a rain dance circle.

• Burpee High Fives

Face each other and get into a high plank position. At the same time, jump up to your feet and then jump up in the air as you simultaneously high five each other (I bet you can’t do this without laughing). You can also do this with Sit- up High FIves.

• Jump Squat Hop Scotch

Of course regular hop- scotch is just dandy as well but for a nice switch up, try squat jumping into each square

• Any traditional sport or just jumping into any activity your child is already playing

No matter your age- workouts should be fun! And what better way to learn how to have fun and be active than from a child.

So there you have it folks! A plethora of fun activities for you and your little ones to stay active all year around.

Have fun and thanks for reading! xoxo