In the modern times, parents often face the struggle of getting their kids physically active so they’re not always being glued to their smart devices, even if it’s just for a short while. But the question remains: what type of activities are short enough so they won’t take too much time out of their day, and – at the same time – make for a whole lot of fun for the entire family?
To sparkle a couple of ideas on what 2-minute activities you can do together with your kids, we’ve come up with the following comprehensive list:
Building a House Out of Plastic Cups
Who can build the biggest house out of plastic cups in 2 minutes? There are many variations of this game. For example, you can start by positioning a single row of upside-down cups (10, for example), then placing additional cups on top of them. Each new cup you place on the top should be touching at least 2 other cups from below, so each additional row will have 1 less cup in total. You can also make the game 3D by constructing a square shape with the cups instead of a single row.
The Chopstick Cereal Race
This game is simple to play: each family member starts with an empty bowl and some chopsticks. In the middle of the table, there is a large bowl of cereal. Now, who can pick up the most pieces and place them in their own bowl using nothing but chopsticks? For added variation, you can also deduct points for every piece that falls on the table to make the 2-minute cereal race even more challenging.
Standing on One Leg
Can you keep standing on one leg for 2 minutes without losing your balance? Doing it on the floor is one thing, but now try doing the same thing on a soft, squishy surface (the couch will do just fine). The task quickly becomes much more demanding, doesn’t it?
Running Towards the End of the Street and Back
Running is a great way to get a ton of exercise in just a minute or two. Of course, trying to race with your kids to see who can run towards the end of the street and back, is probably not exactly fair, since most adults will probably be able to outrun them with ease. However, why not just work on improving your target time? That way, everyone will be competing against themselves only, and not the other competitors.
Make sure to educate your children on the appropriate safety measures, especially if the street is a hard surface. Making an awkward step can often lead to injuries if running at high speeds, and one can easily sustain an ankle sprain, for example. By falling flat on one’s face, teeth can get broken, which requires immediate medical attention. Let’s hope it never comes to this, but if you need to, you can always count on Emergency Dentists USA to save the day.
Hopefully, this article has inspired you to try doing something new with your kids. Even though we’ve barely just scratched the surface of what type of 2-minute activities you can do together, this should serve as a great starting point.