Quarantine Family Workout Plan from The Nanny Line

As we all learn how to survive social-distancing and navigate quarantines, The Nanny Line has some ways for your family to cope with these difficult times.  Our experienced nannies and babysitters know that a little bit of exercise or active silliness is a great stress break for everyone.  Physical exercise can help break up the monotony of being locked in our pisos together for hours on end.  Here are some of our favorite ways to get everybody moving and having fun together (even if it is indoors):

Dance it Out

Play one of the many free YouTube dance exercise workouts online and call it a Family Dance Party.  Give out awards for the family member who sweats the most or makes up the funniest dance move.  There are also plenty of instructional dance- move videos available on YouTube that you could all try to learn together- just make sure to prescreen them ahead of time to make sure they are age-appropriate!  Here are some good dance exercise videos on YouTube:

• 15 Minute Kids Fitness Dance Workout (ages 5-12+)
• Challenge Dance Workout for Kids produced by a US department of public health in collaboration with professional sports and cheerleading teams, this 45 minute workout will definitely fire you up!
• Lucie Fink will teach your whole family how to dance Hip-Hop in just 20 minutes.

 

Indoor Obstacle Course Have you seen the viral video of the family racing each other around plastic cups lined up inside their apartment?  Get creative making your own obstacle course or follow this creative Mom’s lead.  Maybe make the adults crab walk for a fairer (and funnier) competition?

 

Animal Races

Make a start and a finish line and race each other jumping like a frog, hopping like a bunny, or doing wheelbarrow races in pairs.

 

Family Yoga

Help keep everyone calm and flexible with these great, free YouTube videos specifically designed to teach children yoga:

• Cosmic Kids Yoga combines storytelling with active yoga poses, making yoga and mindfulness fun for kids as young as 3 years old. (3+)
• Yoga for Kids also uses illustrations and child helpers to make your kids want to try yoga poses all on their own. (4+)
• Alo yoga (an adult yoga equipment company) offers two great yoga classes great for older children and teens looking to learn more about yoga. (8+)
• Yoga with Adriene is already a favorite yoga channel with adults, but here she breaks down yoga poses in fun and entertaining ways for kids, all outside in a park. (6+)

Family Boot Camp:

Have each family member suggest their favorite body weight exercise and then repeat them all for 30 second-1 minute intervals, moving in a circuit through each of the exercises.  You get to decide how many circuits to do!  Here are some exercises:

1. Modified pushups- You do the real ones, while your child lays on their stomach and pushes up with straight arms
2. Bicep curls-grab some cans of food you stockpiled and use them like free weights
3. Squats
4. Jumping Jacks
5. Planks
6. Jump rope (if you have one in your apartment)
7. Hula hooping (if you have one)

If you need more exercise options, Parents Magazine came up with this list of 16 Strength-Training Exercises for Kids and Adults.

 

Balloon Ball

Blow up some balloons and stand in a circle with your kids and hit the ball around the room trying not to let the balloon hit the floor.

 

Tickle Tag

You’re it!  Chase your children around the apartment and if you catch them, they get tickled!

 

Here are a few more children-focused workouts available for free on YouTube:

 

• PopSugar Fitness promises your family will have a blast with their  Fun Family Cardio Workout.
• Moe Jones will make you all sweat in his Kids HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout.

 

My personal favorite…. Clean up Race:  Start the stopwatch and see which sibling can clean up their room the fastest.  Points deducted for shoving toys under the bed or stuffing clothes in the drawers.

 

In the best of times, preschoolers need at least 180 minutes of physical activity each day, while kids aged five to 17 need 60 minutes of mild to moderate exercise a day.  This might be difficult to reach when we are all stuck inside our apartments, but with a little creativity and inspiration from Spain’s premiere nanny agency, we can all try our best to stay active and sane.

 

What other ways has your family found to exercise indoors?  Have any favorite rainy day activities?  Our families in Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza and world-wide need your help!   Please post them below in the Comments section, or on our Facebook or Instagram accounts.