Intentional Parents

Those of you who have met me might be surprised when I tell you that I played basketball in high school. I’m 5’4″ in thick-soled sneakers. I also played volleyball in college. (Can you tell I went to small schools?)

There’s a lot to be said for team sports, and I learned a lot playing those sports. But the one lesson that stands out to me today, thirty years later, is that most team sports don’t carry over into adult life. It becomes very difficult to balance the time commitment and connection with other players while maintaining the responsibilities of a job and home life.

That’s one reason I like to emphasize recreational activities that will carry over into adulthood. The activities listed below are great ways to get exercise regardless of your age, size, or ability. And you can participate in these activities alone or with the whole family.

Family-Friendly Activities

1. Bicycling — Bicycling is a wonderful exercise for the entire family, but it can present challenges when the children are just learning how to ride. When my husband worked at a bicycle shop, we discovered the joy of riding tandem bicycles (bicycles built for two). We could get so much more exercise, and not have to worry about little ones falling behind, if we put a child on the back seat of the tandem. If you don’t have a tandem, a trail-a-bike can turn your regular bicycle into a child-friendly bicycle for two during family outings.
2. Swimming — Even the little ones can wear life vests and water wings and splash to their hearts’ content. Exercise in the water can vary from swimming to diving for dropped objects to learning how to float to kick-paddling an inflatable raft. It’s a fantastic way to use lots of muscles and have fun doing it!
3. Horseback riding — I realize that not everyone has easy access to this activity. We’ve been blessed by some friends with horses, tack, and generous hearts. Horseback riding provides strength-training for our autistic daughter, and the rest of us get our exercise leading her around the corral.
4. Gardening — Gardening may not look like exercise at first, but think of all the stretching it involves. When you combine that stretching with carrying, digging, raking, and hoeing, you understand why it’s easy to work up a sweat in your garden.
5. Walking the dog — Yes, you can walk without a dog, but a dog is great motivation to get up in the mornings and get outside for a walk. Walking is excellent exercise coupled with the added benefit of getting outdoors for a while.

What other family-friendly recreational activities do you like to do? Leave a comment and share your ideas.