Family Workouts at Home: 10 Fun Ideas for Parents and Kids

Why Move Together?

Activity guidelines are different for adults and kids. The CDC says adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days. For children and teens aged 6 to 17, the guideline is at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day.

A 15-minute family workout isn't the whole day for a child. It's a head start, and a way to build a habit the family can keep. It also counts toward your own total, which is one fewer thing to squeeze in.

Before You Start

• Clear the space. Each person needs room to stretch their arms in every direction without hitting a coffee table.
• Think about noise. In an apartment, choose low-impact moves and skip the jumping.
• Warm up for two or three minutes. March in place, circle your arms, and do a few slow squats.
• Stop if anything hurts, or if someone feels dizzy.
• Check with a doctor first if anyone is pregnant, recovering from birth or an injury, or has a health condition.

10 Family Workout Ideas

1. Freeze Dance

Best for: toddlers and up. Play music and let everyone move: march, step side to side, wave arms. When the music stops, freeze in a squat or a balance pose for five to ten seconds. Let a child be the DJ. It's low impact, so it works in small spaces.

2. Fitness Dice

Best for: school-age kids. Give each number on a die an exercise (1 is squats, 2 is step jacks, and so on). Roll, and everyone does that move for 30 seconds. Let the youngest roll. They'll take it very seriously.

3. Workout Bingo

Best for: older kids and tweens. Draw a grid and write an exercise in each square. Take turns picking a square, and everyone does it together. The first person to complete a row wins, but keep playing until the card is full.

4. Sync Squats

Best for: everyone. Squat on the same count and count out loud together. Because you move as one, nobody rushes ahead and nobody gets left behind.

5. Team Plank

Best for: kids who can hold still for a bit. Everyone holds a plank on their knees or forearms. The round ends when the first person drops, and that time is the family's score. The goal is to beat last time. The score belongs to the team, so nobody should feel like the one who lost.

6. Animal Walks

Best for: younger kids. Bear walk, crab walk, frog hops, penguin waddle. Pick an animal, cross the room, and let the kids pick the next one. It needs a little floor space and is louder than it looks.

7. Living Room Obstacle Course

Best for: ages 4 and up. Use cushions to hop over, a line of tape to balance on, a chair to crawl under and a spot to do five squats. Time each person if your kids love a challenge, or just let them play.

8. Partner Push-Up High-Fives

Best for: a parent and an older child. Face each other in a push-up position, on your knees if you like, and tap hands as you come up. Do eight to twelve and switch roles.

9. Chair Circuit

Best for: mixed ages, grandparents and anyone who prefers low impact. Use a sturdy chair against a wall for sit-to-stands, seated marches and seated knee lifts. Everyone does the same circuit at their own pace.

10. Evening Walk With a Twist

Best for: the whole family. Walk around the block and add a game: speed-walk to the next mailbox, tiptoe past the next tree, or count how many different colors of door you can spot. It's the easiest family workout on this list, and it needs nothing.

A 15-Minute Family Workout for Tonight

One Workout, Three Versions

Different ages and fitness levels don't need different workouts. Run everything on a timer and let each person pick the version they can do well.

How to Keep It Fun (and Keep Doing It)

• Keep rounds short. Thirty to sixty seconds holds a child's attention far longer than a long set of reps.
• Let the kids lead. Rotate who picks the move or the song.
• Never use exercise as a punishment. It teaches kids to dread movement.
• Pick one regular slot each week, even if it's only ten minutes.
• Keep a family scoreboard for team goals, like the total plank time or the number of games played.

Start Small, Then Build

You don't need a big plan. Pick one idea from this list, set a timer for ten minutes and try it this week. If you'd like more ideas, including level options and ready-made timed workouts, there's a longer guide to group exercises at home for groups of any size.

This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. Talk to a doctor before starting a new exercise routine if you have a health condition, are pregnant or postpartum, or are recovering from an injury.