Doing fun indoor and outdoor activities during the autumn season can be a way for families to build memories together, stay in shape and better communicate with each other.

Fitness activities are not only good for adults but also benefit children. They can help to prevent childhood obesity and promote overall healthier lifestyles.

Parents want their children to start out being healthy early in life and they can be part of the process if they do simple things to get their kids off the couch. If activities are fun enough, children don’t even realise they are exercising.

Family walks and bike rides

Family walks and bike rides can allow families to explore their neighbourhoods, meet their neighbours and see the sights while also getting exercise.

If they have dogs, families can include their pets in on the fun. As the weather gets colder in autumn, they will want to bundle up in warmer jackets, hats and gloves.

More adventurous families may want to take their bikes to a local park or riding trails for a more challenging ride.

Most cities have local, state or national walking paths or hiking trails for beginning-level or more advanced hikers. Families going on longer hikes want pack water, food, GPS systems or compasses, extra clothing and other necessity items, based on the length of their hikes.

Sports

Sport not only gets parents and children outside together but also promotes sportsmanship, teamwork and a strong work ethic in people of all ages.

In the autumn, families can play a number of sports together, including football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, badminton and croquet. Playing sports together can mean something as simple as throwing a football or baseball together, playing horse in the driveway or going to a local tennis court or golf course.

Parents with young children can get their youngsters interested in sports by playing catch or shooting hoops with them from an early age.

• Keeping kids fit through playtime
• Seven Sydney playgrounds with gorgeous water views

Outdoor games and activities

Family fun outdoor activities are a great way for families to connect with each other.

The activities can be as simple as taking a child to the park to play on the playground equipment. Many families like to play interactive games such as Hide-and-Seek, Tag, Simon Says and Mother May I?

These activities have simple guidelines but teach children the importance of following the rules early in life. Families don’t need to stick to pre-existing games. They can use household items to make up their own fun outdoor activities.

Household chore fun

Family fun in the autumn doesn’t have to be confined to the outdoors. Families can have a lot of fun indoors, even doing mundane household activities.

Parents can find ways to make household chores fun for themselves and their children. Transforming household chores can involve simple ideas such as throwing laundry into the basket like a basketball, putting together a scavenger hunt, doing matching activities with socks, timing chores to make them more competitive or singing while doing chores.

Dancing fun

Dancing in the home can allow children and parents to build a greater bond and let loose together.

Many parents start early by dancing with their babies to help them get to sleep. They can continue this tradition by putting on music in the house or even getting up during commercials to dance with their children.

Older children may find dancing to be silly, but younger children inevitably will join in on the dancing if they see their parents getting their groove on.

What fun things do you do together as a family to keep active, please share in the comments below.

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