 With YouTube, TV, video games, and smartphones, 'it's important to make sure kids are getting unstructured playtime. Making this harder is the fast-paced and "unsafe" world we now live in. While you are, I might have played out on the street until the streetlights came on, 'that's no longer the norm. In years passed, running a few streets over at 10 to meet a friend was okay. Now? Not so much.
So how then, do we accomplish unstructured and unobserved playtime? In addition, 'what's so great about allowing kids to play without parents watching them all the time? Today we're going to talk about why kids should have unsupervised playtime and how you can encourage it? Why is Unstructured Play Good? According to Help Me Grow, "Unstructured play allows children the freedom to explore, create, and discover without predetermined rules or guidelines. 'It's been shown to foster cognitive development while boosting physical development and social and emotional development." In short, when you allow your kid to "just have fun," then you give them time to foster creativity and imagination, problem-solving skills, and social skills. In addition, letting them play by themselves or just with friends allows them to foster independence and creativity separate from the influence that you might carry. For example, when you were a child, did you play cops & robbers or house in the living room with your parents watching or outside with just your friends? How Much Unstructured Play is Good? According to The American Academy of Pediatrics, each child should get at least an hour per day to unwind, relax, and have some simple creative playtime. However, this number should be higher on weekends, and the younger the child is. Depending on the type of schooling you have, there is a chance that your elementary student is only getting 30 minutes of recess all day. Add homework after, and 'it's easy for kids not to get the time they need. How to Encourage Unstructured Play? Scale Back on Activities If it seems like you are spending all of your time taking your child to soccer, after school, school, swimming, and t-ball then it might be time to cut one or two from the schedule. We want our kids to experience as much as possible; however, sometimes planning less leads to experiencing more. Consider which of the extracurricular activities take the most time away from "free time" and if they are worth the time that you and your family put into them. If the rewards 'aren't worth the cost, let is go! Make Them Go Outside As a kid, you and I probably begged to go outside and disappear for most of the day. 'That's not always likely with kids now. Rather than let them stay inside, make them go outside. You can provide them with some outside toys but tell them to go out and have fun. Though they might resist at first, chances are, they will find out what made it so much fun for us years ago. If you are worried, give them a phone or walkie-talkie they can use to keep in contact. Let Them Create & Destroy Kids love to build and tear down blocks, crafts, and more. Give them a craft box, building block, legos, and other reusable toys that inspire creativity. By letting them build, mess up, tear up, and start over you let their imagination take life. Think about chalk, sticks, branches, and dirt if you want to get them outside and creating all at once. Get Messy Letting kids play in the mud, bring out every toy, and use paint can be daunting to people who love order. However, the disorder is where kids will thrive. You 'don't have to let them finger paint the wall; however, giving them the space to make a mess and be themselves will show them what they can do. If you need order in the house, set up an "art studio" in the garage on the back porch!
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 One of our smaller known events is ax throwing. Our team of ax throwing experts guide participants through lessons and contests to see who can do the best and learned the fastest. In preparation for taking our ax-throwing class, this post will go into what you can expect, tips that will help, and things that you should not do when learning to throw an ax.
Dos and Don’ts of Axe Throwing Do: Have Fun Ax throwing is about learning a new skill and having fun on a date night or night out with friends and family. As such, you should work to have fun and enjoy your class. This isn’t a serious less that you will be tested on at the end. If you aren’t having fun, then we aren’t doing our job. Don’t: Come Drunk While ax-throwing is supposed to be fun and games, the reality is, you are wielding a weapon. As such, you should not come drunk or tipsy. Think about going out for drinks after learning how to throw axes. You can even bargain that the “winner” gets a free drink! Do: Wear Good Shoes While we don’t expect you to drop an ax, we don’t want you wearing strappy stilettos. Should you drop an ax, even it’s handle will result in a pretty good bruise when you have nothing protecting your foot. In addition, good shoes make the learning process easier. Don’t: Come Alone Our ax-throwing classes are meant for groups of six or more! Call ahead to book an appointment so that you know your triple date night is ready for action. Perfect for families, couples, and friends. What to Expect in Axe Throwing Classes Our ax-throwing classes take place on Fridays and Saturdays with groups of six or more. When you arrive at our ax-throwing class with your five friends, you will be given lessons by our expert. They will go over the correct posture as well as tips and tricks for throwing an ax perfectly. All guests throw within lanes that are enclosed by metal fencing so that you don’t have a chance of hurting other guests. Key Facts:
If you are interested in booking an ax-throwing class in Boise, Idaho with friends then Bodies in Motion is the place for you. Our classes will run you through the basics as well as tips and tricks to get better. Remember, you must be an adult, wearing closed-toed shoes, and with at least five of your friends. We have Friday and Saturday offerings throughout the year.  When you think of a typical afternoon, you think of coming home and playing with your children. A typical night might involve more playing and getting them ready for sleep. However, parents night out allows for you to have a well-deserved date. Drop your kids off at the Bodies in Motion gym for a night of fun while you and your partner go out, run errands, or have a date at home.
When presented with this service, most parents ask, "what do I need to do or to have for parents night out?" Today, we're going into that as well as what you can expect when you let your child attend a parents night out at Bodies in Motion in Boise, Idaho. What Does Your Child Need for Parents Night Out? When you take your child to our parents night out, you'll drop them off at 5:00 pm and pick them back up at 9:00 pm. You don't have to pack anything for them! Dinner will be provided in the form of an all you can eat buffet. In addition, fun themes and games will have them running and playing all night long. Here is a look at our themes for the remainder of 2019!
If your child wants, dressing up to match the theme is allowed and encouraged. However, we understand if dressing like an elf isn't something that your ten-year-old wants to do with their evening. What Do You Need for Your Parents Night Out? After filling out the paperwork, there is nothing else you need to do! Now, it's all about what you want. Prepare for your night, whether that is a date, a movie, shopping, or just sitting at home in silence. Previously, we've talked about all the options you have when it comes to a parent's night out. However, here is a quick recap.
What Happens at Parent's Night Out? Each Parents Night Out event is packed with fun activities, crafts, and our all you can eat Newton's Cafe Flatbread buffet. When your child arrives, they'll join a group of kids near their age. They'll have four hours to explore our gym and take part in the activities that we've planned according to the night's theme. What Rules Are There? If you want your child to attend parent's night out, then you need to make sure they are potty trained and between the ages of 3 and 12. They should also be a great listener and kind to other children. To make the most out of each parent's night out, we need all of our wonderful kids to have a great time. If you are looking for a parent's night out, then contact us! We generally have one night a month. However, they fill up fast, so you have to book ahead of time. We are in Boise, Idaho, and our events run from 5 to 9 at night. As long as your child is between 3 and 12 and is potty trained, they can come!  A weekend out with family is the highlight of many people’s week or even month. With fall approaching, going on adventures with family gets easier due to the great weather and fall activities. However, going out can also spell trouble if you leave something at home. Today, we’re helping you pack the perfect weekend travel backpack to make sure that your travels go smoothly for two types of adventures.
Traveling to Town for the Day with Kids When you’re traveling into town for an adventure, you will be there longer than you think. It’s happened to everyone at some point. You think they you’ll make it back home in time and don’t need an extra diaper. You do. Here’s a hack list for traveling into town with toddlers and young children.
Hiking With the Whole Family When your children are young, you have the perfect opportunity to mold them into outdoor lovers. However, hiking with children is no easy feat. They are smaller, can’t walk as fast and can’t walk as far. If you do go, be ready to take longer than expected and have more fun along the way. Your day pack when you have kids will get much larger. Think about having each family member carry a pack with what they need.
Going on adventures with family is the perfect way to get active and bond. However, not being prepared can turn a good day into a disaster quickly. Making sure you’ve packed what you need in your day bag will let you focus on making memories and not on fixing issues.  One of the top questions we get asked about our ropes program is, “What does it teach?” We have two groups of people that take these courses. The first is birthday parties. These families are looking to have fun. The second is those looking for a team course. Though an obvious side effect of taking a ropes course is fun regardless of age or goal, this second group needs a lesson or a skill to gain.
What is a Ropes Course? A ropes course is a challenging course created for personal development and team building. In general, you will see both high and low elements for the team or person to navigate and make their way through. Low elements take place on the ground or right above the ground while high elements are in either trees or made of utility poles. Low elements can be a balance beam, for example, while high elements can be floating poles a story or more in the air. One major difference is that high elements will require a belay for safety. These courses can be found both inside and outside. However, inside courses inside can offer special additions like blacklight parties and birthday parties year-round. Lessons Learned from a Ropes Course Taking a ropes course is a unique type of team and personal development course that involve overcoming basic fears and growing over the course of about an hour. Now that we understand the basics let’s go into what you can expect to learn from such a day. Trust Trust has multiple levels, and just because you say you trust someone, doesn’t mean you do. In the workplace, the level of trust you have with your teammates matters more than many might think. A ropes course lets you develop that trust by giving you an obstacle to overcome that’s completely unrelated to work. In addition, the added challenge that these courses present show you areas where trust might be lacking so that you can focus your attention there. The Best Leaders are Followers If you think going to a ropes course is the perfect way to prove you are the best team leader, you will learn the most of anyone there. Going to a ropes course is the perfect way to practice leading by following. The best leaders understand that leadership requires a team and that sometimes the team knows best. Failing is Okay If your team never fails at a task, then they are not trying hard enough to expand their horizons. Taking a ropes course shows a team that failing is okay. The important part is learning and doing better the next time. If your team learn that failing is okay, they will take more risks and therefore gain more rewards. Someone Has To Lead Teams have set dynamics. However, if you purposely disrupt those dynamics, things can get complicated. For example, try taking a group of team captains to a ropes course, they will learn that not only does someone have to lead; only one person can lead. On the other hand, a group devoid of the normal captain will learn how to “pick up the slack” when he or she is not there. Build Focus Last on the list is building focus. Completing a ropes course is a challenging event for adults and children alike. Many are designed to take your teamwork to the next level. However, to get anywhere, you must be able to focus. In the age of technology, this can be a challenge. Taking a ropes course, therefore, can help you in building your focus as well as your reaction time and attention span. If you are looking for a ropes course in Biose, Idaho then Bodies in Motion is the perfect solution. Our ropes course is great for children, college sports teams, and corporate events. Contact us today to see how we can help you!  When you play on a sports team, your bond is vital to the success of the game. Cohesion, communication, and collaboration are required to the success of a team sport, whether teen, college, or pro level. Each member should be working towards the same goal as a puzzle.
However, like work teams, sports teams don’t always communicate correctly. That’s where team-building courses come in. These courses are perfect high-impact experiences that will teach group skills and create the conditions needed for bonding. What You Can Expect From Team Building Improved morale from each member of the team! Sometimes teams can lose morale after a long streak of defeats. However, taking time off from training and trying a team-building course can help turn back on the confidence. Many times, lack of confidence and moral can be the reason that a team is not performing as expected. It much harder to play or train when you think you’re going to lose no matter what you do. Try to focus on activities that make your players feel like winners in the same way that winning a game would. Better leadership skills for team captains! It’s important for a team captain to be a great leader, mentor, problem-solver, and most importantly, confident. However, young teams can have struggling team captains due to the nature of the age. However, taking the team captains from all your teams to a special course can allow them to bond and grow by learning both from each other and from the course. Make sure to look for courses that challenge their ability to work together and solve problems alone. Working with only other captains can also team them when to back down and when to step up. Find barriers that are keeping your team from getting better! When your group seems to have hit a wall, then it’s time for a ropes course. Taking a course like this can put a strain on a team, allowing you to see where the issue is. For example, you might find that your players don’t handle high-stress situations well. In this case, focusing on how to eliminate stress on the field should take precedence at the next practice. Clearly define objectives and goals for both the overall season and personal growth. Playing sports is about more than winning games. Each team should have both personal and overall goals. If you’ve never set these before, then working through a course can help each member or player to find their goal. Examples include handling stress better, becoming a better leader, growing stronger, gaining more agility, or even starting to meditate to handle pre-game anxiety. For a team goal, look at how to grow together. Perhaps a goal such as, “Our team will form better lines of communication on and off the field.” Improve processes and procedures. When something happens before a game, such as a sickness, then you need to know how the team will handle and cope. Taking a team-building course can teach you how to create those procedures and why they would be important should you have never created them before. In addition, team building courses such as ours in Boise can show you how to handle during game changes and events. Identify strengths and weaknesses! Within each team, there will be strengths and weaknesses. It might not be a person, but an idea or a setup. On the other hand, maybe one person’s abilities aren’t being used. As such, you have an untapped strength. Taking a team-building course that lets each person control a different aspect than normal can show you if one person might be better than the other at a specific task. Become better at problem-solving both on and off the field! Lastly, if your team has issues with solving problems as they occur, then taking a team-building course might help them both on and off the field. Knowing how to react when something happens can help each player become better at their sport. Make sure you pick a course that can help your players observe, think, and implement a solution. If you are looking for a team-building course, take a look at what Bodies in Motion in Boise, Idaho has to offer. Our team building courses are great for children, teams, and adults in need of better skills in group settings.  If you’ve been taking your kid to our Ninja Warrior classes, you might want to think about seeing if you can do it yourself. However, how do you go from couch to TV star? The process is more straightforward than you might think. However, there are some things to think about if you really want to be the next American Ninja Warrior.
Get in Shape First, you need to be in the best shape of your life. Working on your cardio, strength, and agility will be vital in getting on the show. You should mix in running, swimming, rock climbing, strength training, and even yoga. It’s critical that you train every muscle group to ensure that you won’t have a weak link. Go to a Ninja Warrior Gym Though you don’t have to, most competitors will train in these gyms. Ninja gyms are perfect for taking a look at close to the actual obstacles that you will face in the competition. In addition, many members will understand their goals. Though competitive, these gyms are also a family. Making sure that you can get there when they get there starts to become a goal as well. Try an Obstacle Course Though they are nothing like the Ninja Warrior, trying courses like the Tough Mudder or Spartan Race will let you know how well you are progressing. Working various lengths and obstacle numbers will ensure that you can test the limits of your speed, strength, and cardio at different times and with different factors. Apply Early When you apply to be on the show, you have to apply as early as you can. The team that reviews the applications looks at everyone! This means the later that applications come in, the more you have to prove to get into the application pool. It’s estimated that 90% of the requests come in during the last three days of the application period. As such, they end up watching 1000s of videos in the previous week making earlier applications that much more critical. How to Apply for the Ninja Warrior Tell a Story Your personal story is more important than your ability. Everyone applying is strong. It’s the story that got you there that matters. Always Show Rather than talking about your abilities or story, try to show them. Use pictures show a move or course run. Being able to see is more important than being able to hear. Keep Energy Levels High In the first thirty seconds, the casters should know your personality is what they are looking for. What are they looking for? Energy. You need to show them you have what it takes to wow an audience. Think About a First Date You should be selling yourself in this video. Think about what makes you unique and why you are better than everyone else. Use that to your advantage. Keep Editing Simple You don’t have to edit amazing background music or music synced to pushups. It helps, but too much editing can actually do more harm than good. After all, you are the competitor, not the filmer. Shoot Quality Footage When you make the footage that you need to apply, you must make sure that you have a high-quality final cut. You should work to be enthusiastic and personable. At the same time, you should work to make sure that your voice can be heard over the background music and that the lighting is just right for space. Summary If you are looking to get into the American Ninja Warrior, then there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
Fun Fact Our founder, Duncan, was on the Ninja Warrior! Now he spends his time teaching children to stay healthy via our child-friendly ninja warrior classes! If you want to see your child grow in confidence and skill, this class is perfect.  When you get home from work, there is a chance all you do is sit down and relax with family. While family time is great, summer and fall should be a time to be active with family rather than relaxed. There are simple things you can do to make your afternoons and evenings more active. Today, we’re going to go over a few ideas to make family time more productive.
Go for a Walk The most obvious choice is to go for a walk once everyone is at home. You can take your walk before or after dinner. However, you should keep in mind the local weather and neighborhood. Taking a walk with your family can help you bond as well as get in some much-needed exercise. Play a Dancing Game If your family is a gamer family, then products like Just Dance or Dance Dance Revolution might be your style. After dinner, why not make your gaming into something a bit healthier. Either take turns or have a dance party with everyone for thirty minutes to an hour. Compete to see who can get the best score and reward yourself with a healthy snack at the end. Garden Spending time moving with family doesn’t always have to be in the world of physical fitness. Rather try working within nature. At the end of a summer workday, bring home some flowers and take to gardening. If you have a garden, teach your children how to tend to it and keep it thriving. Spending time gardening is not only good for your health, but it’s also good for family bonding as well. Clean Though more boring than the other items on the list, cleaning is a great way to get off the couch and get moving with the family. As an added bonus, your home will be better off than it was before. Try putting on music and creating competition. However, be sure that everyone is doing it right the first time around. When it comes to cleaning, it’s better to move slow and get it done right than to have to do it twice or even three times. Work With Fido If you have a family pet, then getting them exercised and trained is a task only for the active. Try going outside to throw the ball, taking him or her on a walk, or even running around in the backyard. Don’t forget the treats so that you can make sure your pet is learning along the way.  After a while, fitness can start to get boring. This can be the case, especially when you are doing one type of workout every day. If you are having a hard time keeping your workout fun, then think about following a few simple steps.
Change Your Workout Routine If you’ve been doing nothing but running for weeks, it might be time to cross-train with some new sports. Try cycling, yoga, or Zumba to keep working on cardio and stretching while getting something unique into your workout. On the other hand, if you’ve been strength training for ages, it might be time to try cardio and vise versa. Changing your workout routine helps in giving you something to look forward to. In addition, it also allows your muscles to experience new resistances and get even stronger than before. Mix in Fun If running is your jam, then you might not want to change to something new. If this is the case, try mixing in a day or two a week rather than change completely. Each week, try a new sport or two. Examples can be cycling, rock climbing, martial arts, Zumba, or even cross fit. Trying a new sport, as before, will help you get stronger and challenge your mind in new ways. However, trying new things each week can help you find a second passion. If you’ve never been rock climbing, you might find that your new passion is waiting. Then, split your time between that and your current passion for ensuring you’re never running stale with fitness. Take a Day (or Week) Off If you’ve been working out regularly for a month, it’s okay to feel a little bored. If you almost never miss a day at the gym, then try taking a day or two off. This will give your body a chance to rest and give your mind a chance to change pace from the same routine. After your break, you might feel like trying something new. On the other hand, you could feel refreshed and ready to get back into the game. New Sports to Try Within the three ideas above, we talked about trying a new sport if you’ve run out of steam with your current plan. Now, we’ve gathered a shortlist that can help you with some workout inspiration.
Hopefully, a few of these ideas can help you get back into the workout groove. If not, check out our other classes to see what Bodies in Motion have to offer.  You might have heard about open gyms in the past, but you didn’t understand what made them any different than a park or free place to play. On the other hand, you might know that they are safer and indoors; however, you don’t know if the pros outweigh the cost. You are not alone. Many of those who come to us about coming to an open play session ask if it is worth it and what the child will get out of it.
Forming Friendships When your child first comes to an open play session, they are in a new environment with people they have never met before. Unlike school, this place is nearly unstructured and completely meant for having fun. As such, the child gets a chance to really get to know new people and form new friendships. By the time many of our open play sessions ends, new friends have been made. This factor is important because children need to know how to make friends outside of the confines of school. Making friends that don’t come from forced closeness during education will help them with networking abilities and making friends later in life. Learning New Sports Open play gyms are usually gyms that host other sports when not in an open play session. Unlike parks and other free outdoor spaces, this means that space can show a child what another sport is like. For example, an open play session that takes place in gymnastic gyms could show your child a fun taste of what working on gymnastics could be like. If you’ve been looking for a way to get your child into a sport young, then this might be the perfect way to see what they like. Safer The most obvious pro to an open play session is the safety of the child. Unlike a park, an open play gym is inside, monitored, and protected from danger. If your child is hurt, there will be a first aid station nearby. Additionally, there is no chance that your child will get lost or wander away from the park when you are distracted or not looking. Finally, open play gyms are also perfect when the weather isn’t looking great. Going to a park might turn out alright but if there’s an open play session going on, going to that will ensure that if it starts raining thirty minutes in, that you don’t have to leave right away. Age Appropriate On a playground, you are often putting children of multiple age groups on one playground. This can cause issues with space and toys. On occasion, you might be able to group children into larger playgroups so that the older kids don’t bother the toddlers. However, an open ply gym has this perfected. In general, the ages that are allowed at a particular session will be advertised. In addition, areas for specific children will be given, and monitors will assist parents in making the space fun for everyone. |
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September 2019
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