Keeping Kids Active at Home
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all families across the country, shutting down schools and sports at every level. With social distancing guidelines and widespread "stay at home" orders, it can be a struggle to keep children active. It's critical to the physical and mental health of our children that they get regular exercise and maintain goals while without organized sports. Play Like a Champion is here to help. We've created this page as a place to list resources and share ideas from across the country, with a goal of helping parents and coaches to keep kids moving until we can return to normal activity. We encourage you to explore the links below, then follow and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get additional resources and share your own. Together, we can keep kids healthy and strong while helping stop the spread of COVID-19.
Have a resource to add? Email us at information@playlikeachampion.org
or share with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Send us your ideas as well as photos of activities and we'll post them on social media & this page!
Websites for General Exercise
Online Physical Education Network
SportsEngine: At Home Family Health & Fitness
TeamSnap: How to Train at Home
Darebee Home Fitness & Workouts
Sworkit At Home Workouts and Fitness Plans (Kids Content is FREE)
WebMD: No Gym Required (A Guide to Exercise at Home)
Ideas for Activity at Home
Since athletes are not able to play together with class/teammates, we may need to get creative with our home-based environment. Sometimes the easiest skills can be practiced solo and with little to no equipment: stairs can be used for calf raises, sprints, or modified lunges and push-ups; a sidewalk crack can be used to jump over side-to-side for agility training; a brick wall can be used to work on throwing accuracy or for wall-sits. Consider which of these suggested activities would be most fun for you and start moving:
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Running around the block or neighborhood (for endurance training)
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Interval training with sprints
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Jump Rope
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Ride bikes with your family
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Play catch with your family
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Hit or throw into a net
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Go for a 1 mile power walk
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Fly a kite (and run with it)
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Jumping jacks
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Push-ups
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Sit-ups
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Wall Sits
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Play wall ball
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Throw a ball or a frisbee for your pet
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Skip to the end of your street and back
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Play hopscotch (improves balance and coordination)
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Yoga or Stretching (increases body flexibility)
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Have your own personal dance party
An interesting and creative new option for home workouts is using Virtual Reality Technology. This Virtual Reality for Fitness webpage includes lots of exercise games and activities for all ages.
Sport Specific Training
Jr. NBA at Home (Video Library)
Four Point Play Basketball Drills (Video)
Basketball Drills to Do at Home
4 Basketball Drills You Can Do Inside Your Home
5 Shooting Drills without a Hoop (Video)
10 Soccer Drills You Can Practice at Home
10 Youth Soccer Drills for Kids
Resources for Soccer Training at Home
Solo Shooting Drills with a Wall (Video)
Baseball and Softball Drills for Quick Feet
Baseball and Softball How to Finish the Play and Get the Out
Baseball and Softball Infielder Tips
Baseball and Softball Shuffle Drop Drill
3 Baseball Drills You Can Do By Yourself (Video)
Online Video Cardio and Workouts
*YouTube has thousands of videos that can be used for general workouts or sport-specific training, with many programs and coaches posting new videos daily while parents and kids are currently at home. We recommend visiting www.youtube.com and searching for whatever sport or activity interests you!
Andre from Four Point Play Teaches Basketball Drills You Can Do at Home
Mental Health Resources
While we strive to maintain our physical health in a time of social distancing and isolation, it's also critical that we recognize the impact on mental health in athletes as well as our family and friends. Exercises like those found above can improve mental health, as can establishing a routine and finding ways to stay connected with others while isolated. We encourage you to checkout the resources below and engage in activities that build mental health!
Association for Applied Sport Psychology - Tips for Athletes, Coaches, Parents and the Sports Community
(Include Links to Additional Resources)
Varsity Brands - Believe in You Video Series
A Sports Performance Coach's Guide for Parents without Sports
Coaching Resources
BSN Sports Free Coaching Webinars (Assorted Sports & Strength Training)
With Sports on Pause, Coaches Connect with Student Athletes (Article with Ideas for Staying Connected to Athletes)
Social Media Accounts to Follow
Play Like a Champion: facebook.com/PlayLikeaChampion / twitter.com/plc4character / instagram.com/plc4character / YouTube
Four Point Play: facebook.com/fourptplay / twitter.com/plc4character / instagram.com/4ptplayinc / YouTube
Creatively Quarantined Kids: Facebook Group
Jr. NBA: facebook.com/jrnba / twitter.com/jrnba / instagram.com/jrnba
