Beating the Heat: Kid-friendly, indoor activities to stay healthy this summer

When its just too hot to go outside, it can seem difficult to keep up your healthy summer routines, especially when you have cooped-up kids to worry about! While it can be tempting to take a trip to the ice cream parlor or turn to TV, we have some healthier, kid-friendly ways to beat the heat!

Get Moving: Indoors Edition

With summer heat advisories that take trips to the park or playing in the backyard out of the picture, kids need a way to use up some of their pent-up energy indoors! Use these too-hot summer days to introduce your kids to some of your own favorite form of indoor fitness! Whether it be teaching your kids how to go through a basic sun salutation or how to incorporate a love of dance parties into a Zumba class, days stuck indoors can be an opportunity for kids to try out a new way to stay active! And don’t worry if you’re no pro yourself! Fitness videos can be rented from your local library or found online, and there are plenty of online resources detailing the best yoga poses for kids!

Healthy Ways to Cool Down from
the Inside Out

Even if you’re staying inside on these too-hot days, it is important to stay hydrated and cool when the temperatures are climbing outside! And while ice cream and sugary slurpees will likely be what your kids' cool treats of choice, we’ve come up with some healthier, but just as tasty, alternatives. Set a build-your-own smoothie bar with different frozen fruits and flavors of yogurt! Your kids will love getting to decide what goes into their cold treat so much that they will forget all about the ice cream that they were begging you for earlier! Bonus points for sneaking in healthy greens when they aren't looking! Frozen bananas also serve as a great substitute for those summer ice cream cravings, and dipping them in chocolate will convince your kids that they're getting a treat! Just as important as staying cool is staying hydrated, and this also can be done in the form of frozen snacks! Frozen grapes and watermelon popsicles are some great alternative ways to stay hydrated. But, especially on the hottest summer days, it is important to make sure you and your kids are drinking plenty of water, too!

Relax and Give Back

Looking for an alternative to TV time that you can enjoy along with your kids? Have an indoor spa day! There are so many of easy to make, kid-friendly spa treatments like cucumber masks and brown sugar-and-honey body scrubs that you can make together with your kids, and then enjoy! And no spa day is complete without manis and pedis! Be brave and give your kids a try painting your nails, but remember to keep the nail polish remover close by! If you're itching for a way to get out of the house, you could also visit a family spa like Philadelphia's own, Primp and Play, which welcomes kids for treatments, too!

Days stuck inside are also a great time to talk to your kids about the importance of giving back, and brainstorm ways that they can help others! Alanna Wall is the 16-year-old found of the non-profit Polished Girlz, an organization that “hosts manicure parties for hospitalized children and children with special needs.” Alanna is currently raising money for the Polished Girlz Ball that she is hosting for over 100 girls and their families. While your manis and pedis are drying, take the time to talk to your kids about how they could help support kid-related causes like this one, whether it be by having a lemonade stand to raise money to donate or by holding a nail-polish drive!

Like our ideas for how to beat the summer heat? Check out our Beat the Heat Pinterest board for even more kid-friendly ways to stay healthy when it's hot outside!

Mama Moments