Getting kids to exercise is easy. Getting kids to do “a workout” is nearly impossible. The difference is all in the packaging: children will happily sprint, crawl, jump and squat for half an hour if it’s called superhero training, but they’ll quit after ninety seconds if it feels like gym class. This guide collects the best kids fitness activities we’ve used over the years at Flex Fitness in Winnipeg — hockey-inspired drills, superhero missions, silly-hat games and toy relays — all of them doable at home with zero equipment. You’ll also find a ready-made family circuit, tips on keeping young movers safe, and some healthy party-food ideas for good measure.
One note before we start: Flex Fitness is a personal training studio for adults — we don’t run kids’ classes. But almost every parent we train asks the same question: “How do I get my kids moving more?” These are the answers we give them.
Why Kids Fitness Activities Matter More Than Ever
Canadian physical activity guidelines recommend that children and youth get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day. Most kids don’t hit that number — and in Winnipeg, where outdoor play disappears for weeks at a time when the temperature drops, winter makes it even harder.
Regular activity in childhood supports healthy bones and muscles, coordination, sleep, mood and concentration at school. Just as importantly, kids who learn that moving is fun carry that attitude into adulthood. The good news: none of this requires a gym membership or equipment. A living room, a hallway and a bit of imagination are plenty.
The Golden Rules of Exercise for Kids
Before the games, a few principles that make everything else work:
- Fun first, fitness second. If a child is laughing, they’ll keep moving. The moment it feels like a chore, you’ve lost them. Themes, costumes and stories beat sets and reps every time.
- Technique still matters. Kids don’t need perfect form, but they should learn the basics early: squat by sitting back, land jumps softly with bent knees, keep push-up bodies straight. Coach with playful cues — “land like a ninja,” “quiet feet” — rather than corrections.
- Keep sessions short and varied. Ten to twenty minutes of stop-and-go play suits young attention spans far better than a long structured workout. Kids are natural interval trainers — let them sprint, rest and repeat.
- Bodyweight is enough. Children don’t need weights to get strong. Crawling, climbing, jumping, pushing and carrying their own body builds all the strength a growing kid needs.
- Join in. Kids copy what they see. A parent doing burpees alongside them is worth a hundred lectures about screen time — and it doubles as your workout on a busy day.
Superhero Training: The Easiest Sell in Fitness
Ask a child to do ten squats and you’ll get eye-rolls. Ask them to complete superhero training so they’re strong enough to save the city, and suddenly you have a very motivated athlete. This was one of our most popular at-home video workouts, and the formula is simple: take basic exercises and rename them as powers.
- Super jumps: squat jumps — “leap tall buildings,” landing softly every time
- Flying practice: lying on the tummy, lifting arms and legs (superman holds)
- Web slingers: alternating punches or arm circles, as fast as possible
- Speed force sprints: hallway or backyard dashes, timed for drama
- Hulk carries: carrying a loaded backpack or laundry basket across the room
String five moves together into a “mission,” give each round a villain to defeat, and repeat two or three times. Let your child invent their own hero and powers — ownership is half the fun.
The Movie-Spelling Workout
Another favourite from our video series: pick a favourite movie title — Star Wars works perfectly — and assign one exercise to each letter. S is for squats, T is for toe touches, A is for air punches, R is for running on the spot, and so on. Your child spells the title out loud, performing each move as they go, with bonus points for acting out a favourite character between letters. It works with any title or name — which makes it a sneaky literacy game too.
Hockey Drills for Little Winnipeg Fans
In a hockey city like Winnipeg, the easiest theme of all is right there on TV every game night. Have your kids pull on their favourite player’s jersey and run a “practice” in the living room — no ice, no stick, no equipment needed:
- Skater hops: side-to-side bounds from one foot to the other, staying low like a stride
- Slap-shot swings: exaggerated rotational swings from an athletic stance, both sides
- Goalie shuffles: quick lateral shuffles between two cushions, dropping into a “save” on command
- Face-off sprints: race a sibling or parent to a “loose puck” (rolled-up sock) across the room
- Penalty-kill plank: hold a plank for a 20-second “penalty” while the team hangs on
These moves build the same qualities young skaters actually need — leg power, lateral quickness and balance — while feeling like a game. Run each drill for 20 to 30 seconds, rest, and cycle through the “practice plan” two or three times.
Silly Hats, Favourite Toys and Other Games That Get Kids Moving
Some of the best kids fitness activities barely look like exercise at all. Two rules we borrowed from our own Kids Fun Fitness series:
The Silly Hat Rule
The workout has exactly two rules: have fun, and everyone wears a silly hat. A ridiculous hat instantly signals that this is play, not PE class — and it applies to parents too, which is usually the biggest laugh of the session.
The Favourite Toy Relay
Have your child pick ten favourite toys they can carry easily. Pile them at one end of the room, then relay them one at a time to the other end — with a catch: each trip pairs with a movement. Bear crawl there, frog jump back, tiptoe like a ninja, march like a robot. Ten toys, twenty trips, and a genuinely winded kid who thinks they just played a game. For older kids, add a timer and let them race their own record.
More No-Equipment Standbys
- Animal walks: bear crawls, crab walks, frog jumps, flamingo balances — brilliant for strength and coordination
- Freeze dance: music on, everyone dances; music off, hold a pose (make it a squat or plank as they get older)
- Red light, green light: with movement upgrades — green means run, yellow means lunge-walk, red means freeze
- Cushion stepping stones: the floor is lava; jump cushion to cushion with soft ninja landings
A Ready-Made Family Workout (No Equipment)
When you want a bit more structure — say, a snow day when nobody’s leaving the house — here’s a family circuit adapted from the very first workout in our kids series. Scale the numbers down for younger children and up for competitive teens.
Part A — Warm-up (repeat up to 5 rounds, 20-second break between rounds):
- High knees — 30 total
- Screamers (explosive step-back to knee-drive) — 15 per leg
- Side-to-side floor touches — 20
- Bear crawl — 20 “steps”
- Air punches — 50
Part B — Circuit (repeat up to 5 rounds):
- Drop squats — 20
- Push-ups — 10 (knees down or hands on the couch is fine)
- Plank pikes — 20
- Short run down the hall and back — or 10 burpees
Two or three rounds is plenty for most kids. Parents chasing their own goals can treat all five rounds as a legitimate conditioning session — this is exactly the kind of time-efficient training we build into in-home personal training programs for busy parents, and it pairs well with the basics in our beginner’s guide to working out.
Fuelling Active Kids (Including Party Food They’ll Actually Eat)
One of the most common struggles parents mention is finding food that’s both healthy and kid-approved — and summer birthday parties and barbecues make it harder still. A few trainer-approved swaps that consistently survive contact with real children:
- Berries with honey-sweetened yogurt dip. Mixed berries deliver flavour kids love plus antioxidants, and plain yogurt sweetened with a little natural honey beats sugary dips. (Skip honey for children under one year old.)
- Guacamole with veggie dippers. Mash avocado with tomato and onion, then dip snap peas, carrots and cucumber — or homemade low-sodium tortilla chips. Healthy fats and vitamins in disguise.
- BBQ chicken whole-wheat wraps. Roasted chicken off the barbecue in a whole-wheat wrap gives you control over the sodium and fat that burgers and hot dogs usually pack in.
The same principle as the workouts applies: don’t announce that it’s healthy — just make it fun to eat. For families who want more structure around food, our customized meal plans and our no-nonsense nutrition guide are good next steps.
The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Kids’ Fitness? Yours.
Children copy the adults around them. If they see you train — even ten minutes in the living room — being active becomes the family’s normal. That’s the real secret behind every game in this guide: they work best when parents play too.
If your own training has stalled somewhere between work, school runs and Winnipeg winters, we can help with that part. Flex Fitness offers 1-on-1 coaching in our Sargent Avenue studio, in your home, or online. Book a free consultation and we’ll build a program that fits around family life — silly hat optional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much exercise do kids need each day?
Canadian guidelines recommend at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily for children and youth aged 5 to 17, plus muscle- and bone-strengthening activity about three days a week. It doesn’t have to happen all at once — short bursts of active play throughout the day count.
Is strength training safe for children?
Bodyweight strength work — squats, push-ups, crawling, climbing, jumping — is safe and beneficial for kids when it’s supervised and taught with sensible technique. There’s no need for heavy weights at a young age; a child’s own bodyweight provides plenty of challenge. If your child wants to start more formal training, have their technique checked by a qualified coach.
What are good indoor fitness activities for kids during a Winnipeg winter?
Superhero circuits, animal walks, freeze dance, hallway sprints, cushion “lava” jumping and the toy relay in this guide all work in a normal-sized living room with no equipment. Aim for short, playful sessions of 10 to 20 minutes rather than one long workout — and join in yourself when you can.
Does Flex Fitness offer kids’ fitness classes?
No — Flex Fitness is a personal training studio for adults, offering 1-on-1 in-gym, in-home, virtual and hybrid coaching. We don’t run children’s classes, but we’re happy to help parents build family-friendly home routines like the ones in this guide, and to design time-efficient programs so busy parents can train too.
