Products, Places, and Activities for Kid friendly fitness

Winter is seeming to drag by slowly.  Our weather this winter has been unseasonably warm which has allowed us a few days outside, but cabin fever is definitely upon us.
I know now that the holidays are well over, everyone is getting bored, nothing to do, and ready to get moving.  Here are some tips to get your family back into some physical fitness, not just for your health, but for your entertainment too.

One of our favorite lazy Sunday activity is fort building.  Nothing like building a fort out of couch cushions, chairs and blankets to get everyone up and creating.  You can also now buy some really cool fort kits.  Think monster tinker toys that are sturdy enough to make a frame to lay your blankets and sheets across. I like this idea in that it saves my living room from getting disheveled, and is a little easier to push to the side and play with for a few days.  For an extra added physical bonus try adding some home made tunnels between forts or an obstacle course to get there.  Think couch cushion path way, tunnels under chair legs. Let your kids get creative and come up with some ideas.
Check out this fort building kit you can buy at Overstock.com.


We are also big fans of video games, and have a Nintendo Wii and XBox 360 with a Kinect.  The Kinect was a great addition to our game box and created new interest in those of us who aren't "gamers".  My daughter and I especially love the Dance games and it is more of a workout than you think.  There are always new games out to try and now you can rent games at your local Redbox for both the Wii and the Xbox consoles.

Consider bundling up and going out to the Sedgwick County Zoo for Winter Wednesdays!  A trip to the zoo is great exercise, and Wednesdays through February 27th, admission is $2.50  per person saving you money too.  Most of the animals are inside their habitat which is a nice way to warm up if needed.  Time it right and you can make it there on one of our unseasonably warm days that we seem to be getting a lot of this year.  See more Sedgwick County Zoo activities here.   (Summer hours begin March 1st.)

Jumpy Jump Land (facebook)

Get your jump on!! There are three inflatable activity centers that have open jump times available for kids of almost all ages.  Jumpy Jump Land in Andover just added Toddler times to their open jump schedule, (18months - 3), and have open jump times for bigger kids on Sundays.  Pure Entertainment on the West side also has an open jump schedule, and Pump it Up on West Taft Street has a Pre-K Playtime Monday - Thursday for kids under age 6. They also have a family jump time periodically throughout the month, just check their current "events calendar" for days available.  They also have weekly, structured play times that incorporate sing-a-longs, games and structured play/activity.  See the weblink for more details.

Skating is always a fun indoor activity.  Try Wichita Ice Center or one of the Roller rinks in Wichita. Wichita Ice Center has open skate times most afternoons and evenings weekdays and weekends. For Roller or Inline Skating there is Carousel Skating Rink, Skate South and Roller City Roller.

And if your local Y or gym is your favorite place to get in activity, you know that it's not always feasible to make it there.  The internet has many websites out there with exercise activities for kids from toddlers up that are so fun they won't even know they are exercising.  PBS Kids has fun exercise games that incorporate their favorite PBS characters, Parenting.com has 18 fun indoor active game ideas. Here's 8 more Indoor Exercise Activities for kids here.


Gwen at Imagine That Toys shared some great products that are not only great exercise, but good for the brain too.  Here's a few things she recommends for the whole family:

The Plasma Car, she calls this their "store staple", "everyone from a one year old to an adult can hop on the car and go simply by moving the steering wheel back and forth! The weight  limit is 300 lbs so it can really accommodate anyone!"

I love the Bilibo. It is a totally open ended toy that can be a thing to spin in as well as a step stool then a pirate ship then a drum. You get as much exercise for your brain as you do with your body! I love to ask the child what it is and just be amazed at what they answer.

The Blast Pad and Blast Pad Jr. They are foam rockets that you jump on and they shoot up in the air. This is one that the whole neighborhood of kids can get in on and play and run for hours!  

Her favorite indoor item is a mini folding trampoline. It has handles and will hold up to 150 lbs. "Lots of our customers have them in the living room to let the kids burn off steam when they can't play outside. It assembles in less than 5 minutes!"

Gwen says she is ready for summer, and the new Pumponator will be perfect activity for warm weather days.  "Basically it is a portable balloon filling station so you can be ready for a water balloon fight wherever it happens. This is great for a slightly older kid or even a husband. They have even added a balloon tying tool to the handle to make knotting the balloons a breeze."

You can find all of the products mentioned at Imagine That Toys at 2939 N. Rock Rd. (29th and Rock) or visit them online at imaginethattoys.net.
(Thanks Gwen for helping me out with this story!!)


Overall fitness can be where ever you make it for your whole family. Get creative.  Make space in your home where it can be safe, and most importantly, get involved with your kids.  It will make their day, and help you bond with your children, which makes life better for everyone, overall.