4 Family Fitness Picnic Ideas to Help Your Crew Stay Active During Back-To-School Season

It may be back-to-school season, but this time of year everyone is itching to get outside to soak up the last days of summer play.  Which is great because school time generally means families get less active time together.

Instead of eating in, take your family to the park for a picnic dinner complete with a round of fitness fun! After school or on the weekend is the perfect time for an impromptu picnic to encourage adding more exercise to your weekly routines.  Use the following ideas to up the fitness factor of your park and picnic play time:

Have a Jungle Gym Challenge

If you are at a park with a swing set and jungle gym, take advantage of the opportunity by creating a few challenges. Pit the grownups against the youngsters for extra giggles. Challenge dad to ten chin-ups and watch junior plot to take over the lead. Mom has to do hand-over-hands all the way across the bar if she wants to beat sister’s record. Watch your sons as they push as hard as they can to out swing each other, while the toddlers do their very best to get cheers as they somersault in the grass.

You can organize this or let it be free form. The key is that everyone participate to whatever degree they are able to and are comfortable with. It’s great fun to watch the little ones try to out perform the adults. And, everyone gets a bit of exercise in the doing.

Get Inspired with Simple Kiddie Games

You usually don’t find kids sitting around at a picnic. They don’t have to be inspired to play games and run around during picnics, since they soon get bored with ‘grownup talk’ and long to stretch their legs or chase each other around. Kids also like to include their parents in playtime, increasing the sense of rivalry and competition, teaming up against the grownups, which is always fun.

There’s no special equipment needed to make this type of interaction happen. A simple game of catch, hide and seek, tag, or an outdoor scavenger hunt might be enough to get people on their feet. A game of capture the flag will definitely get everyone moving. Just tossing around a Frisbee will get you feeling like a kid again.

If there’s a nice breeze in the air, a few kites could provide hours of fun for you and your kids. Skipping rope and hopscotch are simple games that young children enjoy, and older people will find themselves giggling as it brings back memories.

Pick a Team and Get a Game Going

Choose up sides at your picnic featuring your favorite teams and players. If you’re lucky enough to have room for a baseball diamond, or you have a couple basketball hoops, a volleyball, or even soccer goals, have each guest bring a jersey or t-shirt with their favorite player’s numbers written on it, and divide up the teams.

Other simple games to consider that are fun for all ages are Badminton, Bocce, Croquet, and Horseshoes. Oftentimes, public parks already have one or more of these games set up for you.

Are you on a lake with a few rowboats? Get a crew together and have a race. You’ll need to schedule timeouts to let everyone catch their breath, but that’s part of the fun. Plus, the spirit of competition will improve everyone’s appetite so the picnic food will taste all the better.

Active Picnics Call for Uncomplicated Food

You’ll want to keep your choices for food and drinks as informal and uncomplicated as possible. Finger foods like fried chicken, sandwiches, appetizers, and a host of easy salads will likely be your best bet. Have lots of ready-to-eat fruit, like sliced watermelon, cut up cantaloupe, peeled oranges, and washed grapes on hand. Playing this hard works up both an appetite and a mighty thirst, and fruit quenches both.

Of course, a handful of grapes isn’t enough. As always, you’ll want to keep everyone hydrated with lots of water and a selection of healthy drinks. You don’t want your family or picnic guests to be completely drained of energy before they’ve finished enjoying their active day in the sun!