boogie breaks: helping kids burn off extra energy indoors (free resource)
I saw this giggle-worthy quote floating around on a letter board the other day and could immediately hear the narrator’s voice in my head. Over the past few weeks, I find myself repeating the same things over and over to these bundles of energy that are disguised as my boys. My most-repeated phrases currently include:
+ “stop jumping on the couch. i’m serious.”
+ “please come here — no, under the table isn’t ‘here’.”
+ “the dog isn’t a horse… or a body pillow… or a wwe wrestler. let him breathe.”
+ “that’s too high to climb on the counter/shelf.”
+ “we don’t sit/dance/stand/roll on the table.”
Normally, when I feel those energy levels rising, I can have everyone throw on some shoes and head out-of-doors. After even just 20-30 minutes of fresh air, running, jumping, climbing, and playing — we regain some sense of normalcy. I’ve even been known to make my kids run laps around the cars in the driveway when we only have a few minutes to spare.
but. . . winter in the midwest, folks.
Last winter was bitterly cold: as in, -30 to -40 windchills and while I believe in the oft-quoted phrase, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” — I also believe in my children retaining all their fingers and not having little frostbitten noses.
Therefore, we’re reinstating boogie breaks into our homeschool day. This idea is nothing earth-shattering and there are hundreds of similar tips and tricks floating around the internet to get your kids moving and burning off excess energy. But this is our family’s simple rhythm and I’ve found a little bit of intentionality goes a long way in helping growing kids manage their bodies and energy levels.
This all started a couple of years ago during our toddler years when I created a series of “boogie sticks” on blank tongue depressors with movement ideas to help keep us active. Since then, we’ve started using variations on those ideas when:
+ the weather keeps us indoors (too cold or too hot) too long.
+ the boys are having trouble concentrating on the task at hand.
+ tension is high and we need to laugh.
+ we need to transition from one activity to the next with a physical break.
I’ve updated our original movement ideas and created a simple set of cards, which we’ve been using over the past few seasons. I’ve seen a marked difference in their attitudes and behavior on days when I pull out the cards and turn up the music versus the days where they’re cooped up and sedentary. I also love the fact that the boys can completely engage with the cards with or without mom or dad’s help — they call out different movement ideas, time each other, and race to see who can complete a challenge the fastest!
there are 20 cards in this set and each one has a suggested time frame, repetition amount, or song to help keep things moving along — feel free to adjust as necessary for your kids!
you can also click the button below for the coordinating spotify playlist that is referenced at the bottom of certain cards. but feel free to use whatever music gets your family groovin’!
Welcome, friend — I’m Alle, a second-generation homeschooler with four boys living in the same mid-century ranch I grew up in.
In another season, my creative work took shape in the form of Kingdom-impacting projects for ministries and authors who were launching big things into the world — books and brands, courses and communities.
These days, I’m using those same skills and passions to create resources and tools for Homemakers and Home Educators who are building Kingdom-impacting families. You can sign up for free access to those simple projects in the Resource Library. I hope you will find some encouragement and support for your journey in this space.