I love a good holiday themed activity. Check out our festive yoga here and stay tuned for a St. Patty’s day version! Valentine’s Day is no different! Don’t get me wrong, chocolates and cards are great. But my real love language is making exercise fun. The Cupid’s Challenge is a fun adventure that was created to challenge strength, coordination, and balance.
How The Challenge Works
The minute you present the activity as a challenge, your kids are going to be sold. Below are a series of playful movements that are connected to a Valentine’s day theme. You can spread the love out through February by completing them one by one. Or you can group them all together as a big obstacle course.
Cupid’s Challenge Activities
Jumping Hearts
- What you need: paper/felt, scissors, tape, and a die.
- How to play: Place your hearts on the ground in a straight or wavy line. Secure the hearts to the floor to prevent any slipping. Jump to each heart without touching the floor (the floor is lava style!).
- Modification: While standing on the first heart, roll the die. Jump forward that many hearts. If you have multiple kids, you can make each kid their own course. Or see who can make it to the end first on the same course. Not able to jump? Have your child step to each heart without touching the ground.
The Love Walk
- What you need: A balance beam, painters’ tape, side walk chalk, curb, or a line.
- How to play: Kids walk across the beam without falling.
- Modification: Hold your child’s hand to provide a little extra stability. Two or under? Let them try with one foot on the line and one foot off. If this is too easy for your child, try holding one of the hearts you made for the first activity. Still easy? Have your child pass the heart from one hand to the other without falling off the beam. Make it a challenge and see who can do the most.
Love Letters
- What you need: Sticky notes, a pen/pencil, and an envelope.
- How to play: Write fun notes on a sticky note. Depending on how you’d like to structure this activity, you could draw hearts or “xoxo”s. If your child can read, you can write things that you love about your child (Ex: You are silly, you are smart, you are caring, you are strong, you are a good brother/sister, etc). Place the sticky notes in different places around the room. Have your child collect these and put them in their “mailbox” or envelope.
*While you are setting this up, you can have your child decorate the envelope.
- Modification: Depending on your child’s functional level, your child can run, jump, crawl, roll, or scoot to each sticky note. Try timing them and seeing if they can beat it.
Cupid’s Arrow:
- What you need: Nothing!
- How to play: Warrior pose and butterfly pose. Have your little one hold the poses below. Have them count out loud to 5. Don’t forget to try both sides on the warrior pose.
- Modification: Try holding the warrior pose while throwing bean bags or small balls into a laundry basket like shooting cupid’s arrow.
The Cupid’s Challenge is a fun way to blend physical activity and Valentine’s Day. It’s great way to fall in love with physical movement. Comment below if you need a different modification. Would you like a printable version of the yoga poses?
Leave a Reply