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ALmom
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| Posted: April 12 2010 at 11:25pm | IP Logged
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Backyard soccer, games like PIG with a basketball hoop (and some modified version using two balls where they sometimes have "cheating" allowed which basically means all kinds of ways to throw the extra ball to knock the other out of the way so the shooter has to go running for it and you can sneak in your own shot), chin ups and pull ups (we installed bars in a doorway), volleyball is already mentioned.
Basically, a lot of the team sports can be modified to play with any number of people/various ages and you add lib with soccer nets, etc. They are basically playing in doing the drills often used to develop skills. The idea is to practice some of the dribbling, ball handling skills as well as run. They have played baseball with 2 or 3 people informally.
Biking, capture the flag, dark tag, kick the can, bike racing (dh got them a thing to measure their speed- attaches to their bike and can also be used to measure distances for running), building and climbing in tree forts (husband made sure ours was tall enough for him to stand in  - so it is pretty high up; guess some things depend on how squemish you get for safety), lots of homemade war games.
Another thing is to "organize" a Presidential physical fitness activity or obstacle courses (old tires are used for lots of things). We also have ropes dangling from trees - used for climbing and for swinging and the boys put up an extra one so they could play fight while on the ropes sort of like chicken. Oh they also used the top of the big, old van to get a good tarzan style start (till we figured it out and made some rules about such things).
You can go on any military academy website and look at physical requirements and get some pretty good instructions for how to do the exercises - and how many are expected for which ages. My boys compete on number of push ups, chin ups, etc. Presidential Physical Fitness also has information on line. You can do it informally, but you can also do it privately with a "school group" and do testing and submit results and get the awards if desired. We made our own shuttle run blocks.
Morning jogs - this is an all male event in our house but dh goes with them and takes the dog too. He has everyone within easy viewing and they pattern when they turn around etc. so that everyone can go at their own pace without anyone being left behind. The youngest claims to have won some - but of course when everyone turns around, he is suddenly in the front instead of in the back. They get up pretty early.
Table tennis is great eye hand coordination but not as much expenditure of energy - still it can be done even on those cold days if it is in the garage.
My nephews played street hockey with each other at one point.
When things are desperate, I have some folks vacuum the stairs that are really too hard for me.
Tree climbing (actually climbing the outside bricks of the house - this version was not approved and since discovery has been forbidden), building forts and dams and digging holes, hauling dead trees or limbs to make hiding places, forts, walls for their war games, etc. and .... My children have shoveled snow off neighbors driveways just to pack it on ours for sledding - old baking trays and kiddie swimming pools work for sleds if you don't have any. Raking leaves for leaf jumping piles (and again, they gladly offer to help the neighbors) Hauling all the bags is pretty physical too - especially if you have the entire neighborhoods leaves. Hauling trash down a long, steep driveway. Oh they also practice throwing things (or hitting the bandmitton) over the roof. Water gun fights in the intense heat (This can become an entire re-enactment of the Revolutionary war - and it quickly expands from tame water guns to buckets of water, hoses, and all kinds of stuff. Running through a sprinkler is generally too tame for mine but when they were younger they moved the sprinkler to the slide and made their own slip and slide.
Yikes, I'm not sure where to stop. I have a houseful of highly energetic, hands on learners. They have come up with all kinds of physical activities and we don't even have a very large yard. A little free time outside is all it takes - and if they aren't outside, they are creating something inside - wrestling, seeing how many steps they can jump over, sliding down the banister and what can be used to reduce friction  I'm the couch potatoe that needs to get moving. I guess I could do stair training (told that is very physically demanding and I know my brother in law who coached a lot had his whole family do stair training and other stuff like that for building speed in running or something).
Oh they also do some informal jousting with protection (used football helmets made to look like medieval armor, shoulder padding,etc). Mine actually would prefer to skip the real protection and just go at it - but other, wiser boys that join them have required safety rules - and the moms are all glad to see that these are enforced. It can get pretty heavy and hot and require some workout when they are covered in fashioned tin cans.
Janet
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Rebeccca
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| Posted: April 13 2010 at 10:38pm | IP Logged
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I see I'm coming pretty late to the conversation but I thought I'd mention a thing we've done recently.
My daughter has desired for so very long to have a horse. We live in the city and even if we didn't can't afford one. She desperately wanted riding lessons and I checked in to that. Very expensive.
So, I gave it some thought. There is a highschool-age girl in our homeschool group that is just a model young Catholic woman. She is just a lovely girl. I contacted her parents and spoke with them about their daughter giving my girl riding lessons. For me, this was about my daughter getting to take the riding lessons she wanted but even more than that, spending good quality time with a girl that I consider a lovely role model for my girl as she approaches that age.
It is considerably less expensive than traditional riding school and has so much more to offer.
I'm not suggesting that you find riding lessons for your boys. Rather, find out what really interests them and instead of looking for a traditional outside activity, find someone you see as someone that you'd like for your boys to look up to and is older than they
and who would like to earn a little cash in exchange for something. Take a look around at some of the older boys/young men that you know and see what sports they play. You may find a tennis player or who knows what. Perhaps a Godly young man of your aquaintance would like to earn some $ teaching them to fish or play tennis or frisbe golf or golf or whatever.
It will save you a lot of money, introduce good examples for the age they're going to be soon, and get them involved in a sport.
We're happy.
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Pilgrim
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| Posted: April 14 2010 at 11:23am | IP Logged
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Thank you all so much for all these ideas! I am going to print it all off to look at when we need fresh ideas for activities. 
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Helen
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| Posted: April 14 2010 at 11:25am | IP Logged
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One more thought Pilgrim... I'm also looking into a beginner Lacrosse set. I figure two children can play catch or one child can aim at the target.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Alternatives to organized sports?
