Now that spring has sprung, why not indulge in some fitness spring break fun for the whole family?

This year, during your kids’ or grandkids’ vacation time, why not institute a family fitness spring break instead of just sitting around playing video games, watching television, or attached to a small screen? You’ll enjoy more quality time together, and the good health habits you cultivate within your family can pay lifelong dividends.

What Does Family Fitness Mean?

Some families are super fit and healthy, but more than likely, someone in the group (or several of you) needs a little motivation and perhaps guidance to improve their fitness and health. It can be difficult to get active on your own and follow an individual exercise program, especially if it’s not something you’re accustomed to. But, when you cheer on everyone in the family, it becomes more fun to get involved and get moving.

What Are the Benefits of Family Fitness?

Doing things together as a family is a great way to bond. And what better bonding activity than fitness and health?

Kids and grandkids, especially, can benefit from seeing how other, more senior family members embrace fitness. There are so many benefits from this type of shared positivity, but here are a few goodies:

• Set a good example—walking the walk is important when it comes to showing the younger generations how to fit fitness into a daily routine. When you have an enthusiastic attitude toward exercise and movement in general, kids will naturally want to be a part of the fun.
• Spend quality time together—instead of everyone going off in their individual directions, try exercising or getting active together. You’ll be surprised how enjoyable it can be. Plus, teaching each other how to exercise can be a rewarding and exhilarating experience. You’ll be engaged with each other as you talk and move together.
• Share common health goals—it’s much easier for all involved to stay on track when you’re focused on accomplishing goals together. Try making a family fitness mission statement and coming up with fitness goals you can work toward together. Rather than choosing outcome goals (such as losing X amount of weight or increasing weights lifted by X amount), choose process goals, which focus on actions you’ll take together to be more active (such as getting outside daily for 30 minutes or more for a fun activity).
• Nip obesity in the bud—when you instill a lifestyle of fitness and healthy eating into your kids at a younger age, keeping the weight off as they get older will become much easier for them. Making healthy habits and fitness just another normal part of the family dynamic goes a long way toward shaping healthful lifestyles in the future.

Family Fitness Spring Break Ideas Your Family Will Actually Love

While it may seem like you need a miracle to get everyone together, when a little bit of fun is thrown in, family members are much more likely to want to be involved. Try these fitness activities to inject some fun into your family time.

Water Sports—whether you’re in a pool, lake, river, or ocean, swimming is just plain enjoyable. There are plenty of games you can play in the water, like Marco Polo or swimming races, as well as other fun activities like water aerobics, paddle boarding, canoeing, tubing, and more. Take advantage of the warm weather to enjoy family fitness spring break.

Walks—family walks along the beach, hunting for sea shells, or a nice hike up a picturesque mountain or trail can help the kids appreciate nature and realize how fun and rewarding outdoor activities can be. Don’t forget to capture the moments with the family and scenic backgrounds.

Run for Fun—if your family already has a fitness background and some conditioning, you can almost always find charity walks, fun runs, and obstacle course races to compete with each other. These help you stay fit while giving back. You can compete as a team and celebrate a sense of community spirit.

Team Sports—depending on how big your family is, you might enjoy some team sports against other families (or even each other). If you’re visiting a beach, you might find a volleyball game going on. Or, jump into a pickup basketball game, a kickball game, or a round of softball.

Take It Away—get everyone away from the couch/bedrooms/kitchen counter and take the kids to the batting cage or to practice hitting golf balls. Even going through the mini golf course can be family fitness spring break fun and something you can’t do from the couch. You can also try a game of frisbee golf. Another activity that keeps you moving is bowling. (It may even bring back memories of fun you had with your family growing up.) Or find a nearby rock climbing or trampoline park to try something new.

Use Devices to Your Advantage—if your kids are typical, separating them from their devices may seem next to impossible. But, when you combine technology and fitness, things get a lot more fun. Older kids often enjoy engaging with fitness apps, keeping track of their progress, and continually challenging themselves. Especially if the weather isn’t cooperating, and you find yourself stuck indoors, you can find video games that will make you sweat. Nintendo Switch Sports offers several sports and fitness-based activities—like tennis, soccer, volleyball, and bowling. Other devices allow you to box, have a dance party, or enjoy a more traditional workout. Use these games and apps to keep the kids interested and active.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Many families find cycling is a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors, and there are other ways to create adventure while moving your bodies. Even in your backyard or nearby park, you can find fitness fun. Try dribbling a soccer ball, toss a ball or frisbee, or shoot baskets. Or set up your yard with a classic lawn game like croquet, bocce ball, horseshoes, cornhole, or ring toss to build coordination. Or break out the jump rope or hula hoops and see who can jump or hoop the most.

Another fun option that combines smart devices with the great outdoors is geocaching or orienteering. These adventures engage the family both physically and mentally as you navigate to specific coordinates using GPS (or a map and compass) for fun (and free) scavenger hunts. Once you find a cache, you’ll sign the logbook. Some even contain treasures. Your family may be able to bring a small toy or trinket of their own and trade it out for a new treasure. (Just remember to put the cache back for the next person or family to find.)

Document the Fun—make sure you capture the smiles and laughter with plenty of photos and videos. At the end of your fitness spring break, compile the great moments into a memorable montage the kids can look at all year long. They may even be excited enough to start planning summer fitness fun.

Do your family a huge favor and give them the gift of a fun family fitness spring break.