Include kid-friendly muscle-strengthening activities three times a week. Where adults would go to a gym, kids can play on a playground, rotating from one piece of equipment to another. Playgrounds keep kids swinging, crossing catwalks, tossing rings, sliding, twirling and hanging from monkey bars. Older kids can engage in pushups, ball tosses, Frisbee and even safe lifting of heavy objects. Jumping jacks and hopscotch will also build physical endurance while allowing children to expend excess energy through healthy activity.
Gather empty coffee cans and place tape around the rims to prevent injury. Attach the cans to a long board and ask kids to toss ping-pong balls into them, earning a different number of points for each can. Encourage the kids to toss from points farther and farther away. This physical activity builds dexterity while challenging kids mentally and physically.
Jumping rope is an old favorite, but jumping to rhymes and varying those rhymes can keep active kids engaged even longer. Assign two kids to turn the jump rope while another child jumps. Have all kids present chant rhymes, such as "Three Blind Mice" or "Blue Bells, Cockle Shells." Any children's rhyme will do, as long as it is short enough for the kids to remember and chant repeatedly.
Banana Relay Race is an engaging activity for teams of kids. Each leg of a team is assigned a challenge involving a banana. For example, one leg of the relay may require team members to place the banana under their armpits and hop on one leg. Another relay might require team members to place a banana between their knees and hop without it falling. When each team finishes its relay, its members must eat the bananas at the same time. The first team to complete the relay successfully is the winner.