*We are proud to partner with Nike on this sponsored post about Nike PLAYlist, kids, and physical activity. Our kids are our future…let’s get them moving again!
Everything about this year has been one big question mark which is especially hard when you’re a parent, and extremely confusing when you’re a kid. My kids never know what the day is going to be like. Is this an in-school day where I’ll have to wear my mask for seven hours straight or is this an at-home learning day where I have to sit all day looking at my computer?
I’m not going to lie. In the past seven months, my kids have been doing a lot of sitting around. With sports activities cancelled, quarantining inside, and now a hybrid online school in front of a computer screen…
It is time to get kids MOVING again.
We all love Nike for their cool new gear, but did you know that Nike is one of the best resources for parents? Right now Nike has some amazing new tools that you NEED to know about:
- Nike PLAYlist – an episodic sports show, created for kids and often starring kids—it’s a crazy amount of fun! My kids LOVE seeing their favorite sports celebrities complete challenges (like the 60-second hang) with kids and then they want to do the challenges at home and make their own videos. With the sea of videos on YouTube, Nike PLAYlist actually provides kids with something fun and physical! Check out Nike PLAYlist here.
- Nike Adventure Club – a cool sneaker subscription for parents with fast-growing kids who love adventure and activity. For ages toddler through grade school. With Nike Adventure Club, your kid gets 4, 6, or 12 pairs a year, weekly activities, and adventure kits designed to inspire play. And best of all, every box arrives personalized with your kiddo’s name on it. Great for kids who tear through shoes!
- Made to Play – I didn’t even know about this, but it is so inspiring. Want to know even more about the importance of getting kids moving? Check out Made to Play and see what Nike and its partners are doing to help kids all over the world reach their potential through play and sport.
This week we checked out Nike PLAYlist with our cousins and put together five favorite challenges to do at home. It was a blast! We played for well over an hour and it even inspired my kids to come up with challenges of their own (“laughing butt-kickers” and “couch cushion hurdles”) and turn them into videos! I love that kind of active creativity!
Plus, seeing all their favorite professional athletes doing drills in Nike Sports Lab inspires my kids to get involved in sports themselves. My skateboarder son LOVES this Sports Lab segment where Sky Brown challenges others to try a new game on wheels. It even inspired him to make his own obstacle course with his buddy!
5 Challenges Your Kids Will Go Crazy Over Inspired by Nike PLAYlist
Here are 5 challenges inspired by Nike PLAYlist that your kids will go crazy over. Use them for team warmups, P.E. games, or for family night! Try them today!
1. Dueling Pike to Plank
This activity is inspired by this PLAYlist segment and is so much fun! Grab a partner and a deck of numbered cards. Each partner faces each other with the deck of cards face down in between them.
Start in an upright standing position and keep your legs straight as you reach your hands to the ground (pike position) and walk them out (into plank position).
Then each partner turns a card over. The person with the highest card wins that round! If you’re playing with a group, the person who wins stays and a new person comes on to challenge. The high card stays.
What this exercise works: Core strength, arm strength, flexibility.
Fun Nike Gear to get them moving:
Boys’ hoodies and pullovers – this one and this one featured below, and lots of colors to choose from.
Girls hoodies and sweatshirts – featuring this cute new Heritage hoodie (check out the three colors!)
This Nike Air sweatshirt is adorable (check out the back!), and this romper is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!
All the Nike Kids clothing right now is bright, colorful, and is just happy. It’s exactly what kids need right now! And that makes me happy.
2. Balancing Act Copy Cat
Inspired by: this Nike PLAYlist Shakeup segment. These episodes are a fantastic resource for parents, teachers, and coaches, so go check them out!
My kids love skateboarder Sky and her little brother Ocean from the Nike PLAYlist Shake-Ups. So much fun! For this one, all you need is two or more people.
The goal of the game is to stay balanced on one foot while copying the action of your partner.
Everyone starts off on one foot. You then take turns doing an action, like jumping side-to-side, or squatting down low, and everyone else has to copy that action.
If you fall, you’re out until the last person is standing.
What this exercise works: Balance, leg strength, agility
Fun Nike gear to get them moving: It’s all about comfy bottoms! Like these compression Boyshorts (my girls love them for volleyball, gymnastics, and running) and these great pants & tights.
For boys, it’s basketball shorts and joggers, all day, every day. (Literally, that’s all my boys wear every single day. I buy them jeans, they wear basketball shorts.)
3. Wheelbarrow Race
Inspired by this Nike PLAYlist episode’s wheelbarrow house tour that is so much fun! You don’t even need a yard to do this–you can use your own house! Kids can watch the video then do their own house tours.
First, you’ll need a partner. The first partner gets down on hands and knees and the second partner lifts and carries their feet (like a wheelbarrow). The goal is to get to the finish line as fast as you can without falling.
It’s especially fun to race your parents!
What this exercise works: Upper body strength, core
Fun Nike gear to get them moving: Jackets and shoes. I think by far Nike has the edge on both of those essentials. As far as kids windbreakers go, these girls jackets are to die for! My daughter has this one and it’s made from sustainable materials and comes in four bright and sassy colors!
Nike shoes can’t be beat, especially for your whole family. Here are some of our favorites:
Nike Air Max 90: this iconic shoe is my all-time favorite shoe, and I’ve owned at least four pair of them. They’re comfy, flexible, and just kick-it shoes that are full of energy and fun. And my secret…buy them in kids sizes! Just order 1.5 sizes lower than what you usually wear. (I usually wear a 7.5 so I ordered a 6Y in kids!)
Nike Air Max 2090 – such a great shoe for active kids! It’s equipped with extreme air and classic details.
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37 – awesome shoe for my kids in track and cross-country. A perfect shoe for every day too! It’s comfortable, lightweight, and bouncy-cushioning.
Nike Air Zoom Speed – fast like lightning! Lightweight and cushioned for ultimate comfort and performance.
And for you ladies and gents who are into training, Nike just released the new Nike Metcon 6 training shoe! This shoe is hot, hot, HOT in gyms right now!
4. The 60-Second Hang
This one is viral on Nike PLAYlist. You’ve gotta check out the Nike PLAYlist 60 Second Hang where “hang” with celebrity athletes like Anthony Davis, Kristi Castlin, and Lebron James and ask them fun questions.
Have you actually tried hanging for 60 seconds? It’s HAAARRD!
I dare you to try it. It makes such a fun challenge for kids! Simply find a high bar at home or a playground and see how long you can hang. It’s harder than you think. My son lasted for 2 minutes and that was the record.
Recent episodes include virtual versions you can do from home (since that’s our jam lately!) like hangs as planks, wall sits, and more. They’d be great for P.E. or team training challenges!
What this exercise works: Upper body strength, grip, muscle endurance
Fun Nike gear to keep them hanging: Fun accessories!
An outfit wouldn’t be an outfit without a few fun accessories and Nike has some good ones, like hats, socks, and headbands to keep your crew extra cool.
Check out this fun, Heritage 86 hat that I’m in love with.
5. Smiling Squats
Inspired by this Nike PLAYlist At Home video.
The goal of this Shake Up segment is to do as many squats as you can in 15 seconds without smiling.
This is fun with a partner or a group. Each person takes a 15-second turn doing squats while the others doing silly things trying to make that person smile.
It’s hard to keep a straight face!
What this exercise works: legs and core muscles
Fun Nike gear to keep them smiling: Anything from the new Nike Kids line. It’s so much fun. And while you’re there, grab my favorite Nike Yoga Luxe pants and oversized Dri-FIT Get Fit sweatshirt of all time!
Go check out Nike PLAYlist now! — Your kids will have so much fun! It’s something enriching to watch on YouTube and it gets your kids moving. Plus, with all the professional athletes on there, it inspires my kids to continue their journey in sports.
I mean, watching Lebron hang out leaves a huge impression on aspiring athletes.
Getting Kids Excited To Move Again in an Unstable World
We are living in the midst of a social revolution right now where the consequences of our actions, or inactions, haven’t even been reported yet.
A study recently reported in JAMA Pediatrics examined a group of 2,330 children in the Hubei province in China where the pandemic originated, and found that after an average quarantine period of 33.7 days, 22.6% reported depressive symptoms and 18.9% were experiencing anxiety. (1)
Getting kids moving again is vital for their physical health, mental health, and for their confidence. Plus, it’s FUN! 2020 cannot be the thing that breaks us!
Parents have a lot on their plates right now.
We’re navigating this bizarre new world of social distancing while also taking our children’s education, mental health, and physical well-being into our own hands. That is an intense amount of pressure!
Nike is here to help. With Nike PLAYlist, Nike Adventure Club, and Made to Play, Nike is helping parents get their kids in action and have fun doing it. I absolutely love them for it. Nike is here to offer real help to parents to empower their kids through physical activity.
Physical activity is something our children need so badly right now to improve social, mental, and physical health. Plus, we all know that kids who can tackle a challenge are the coolest kids on the block, so start with these challenges kids will go crazy over!
And parents, encourage your kids to get active, or stay active in the sports that they love!
Let’s get moving!
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