Fancy being more active in 2023?

Join our 2023 Active Challenge – 52 fun physical activities guaranteed to get the blood pumping, one for every week of the year! They’re accessible, require minimal equipment and can be modified to suit children and adults of all ages!

There’s no better time than the New Year to make a meaningful pledge to be more active but we understand it has to be practical and realistic, which is why we’ve created this bitesize programme of 52 different physical challenges.

The physical activities vary each week but they share one common theme – they’re exhilarating and FUN! So give it a go – can you keep up with us throughout the entire year?

Challenges for January 2023

Challenges for February 2023

How does it work?

Each quarter we’ll reveal the latest batch of weekly challenges, which will be published in a downloadable and printable planner to stick on your fridge!

Each new weekly challenge will begin on a Monday and participants should aim to complete each one a minimum of three times per week, putting special focus on weekends when it’s the perfect time to encourage friends and family to join in!

Remember, the UK Chief Medical Officer recommends that children are active for an average of 60 minutes a day across the week, so the active challenge will contribute towards this goal.

Tick the activities off as you go and post on socials using #PremierActiveChallenge to share your progress. The Premier Education team will be joining in too, sharing videos and tips along the way to help keep you motivated!

Why not keep a weekly diary of your progress and record how the different challenges make your family feel? Or send us your letters, emails and pictures to tell us how you’re getting on.

At the end of the year, we’ll award some prizes to those who have shown effort and been dedicated to living a more active 2023!

Above all, it’s about having FUN! Embrace each challenge and give it your best shot. But remember, above anything else, it’s about having FUN and finding the joy in being active.

Benefits of keeping active

Physical activity is so much fun plus it comes with a host of positive health benefits:

• Lower obesity levels and improves overall health
• Children are happier and less anxious
• Creates positivity, confidence and enjoyment
• Gives a sense of achievement
• Develops social skills
• Reduced stress
• Strengthened bones and muscles
• Improved coordination, strength, endurance and balance
• Supports fine and gross motor development

Week 6 – Keepie uppies family challenge

Week commencing 6th February

As it’s Schools’ Football Week, we’ve included a football-themed challenge for the whole family to try, regardless of age or ability.

Spend time perfecting your keepie uppies with a ball in the park or back garden – aim for a minimum of 15 minutes of practice three times throughout the week. At the end of the week, bring the family together to see who can do the most keepie uppies in one go. It’s great for balance, coordination and muscle memory!

If your children are a little too young for keepie uppies or other factors make this challenge a difficult one for your family to try out, why not try a slightly simplified version? Begin by asking your child to hold the ball. Then, instruct them to drop the ball, let it bounce, and challenge them to kick it on the way up. To complete the challenge, they’ll just need to catch the ball!

Week 7 – Musical chairs

Week commencing 13th February

This classic game shouldn’t only be reserved for kid’s parties as it’s great fun and a brilliant form of exercise. It’s also super for problem-solving!

You’ll need a minimum of four players but the more the merrier.

Assign someone to control the music then count how many participants are left. Arrange enough chairs – allowing one per player – in a circle with all chairs facing the outside of the circle.

When the music starts the kids run clockwise around the chairs. When the music stops they have to sit down on a chair as quickly as possible. Count this as the trial run. After this, remove one chair after each round – every time one person will be left standing without a chair. Who will be the last one standing?

If you’re short of space, adapt the game by using cushions instead of chairs. Or if you don’t have enough cushions to spare, make spots out of coloured paper (roughly the size of a dinner plate) to sit or stand on instead. Both options take up less room and are easy to modify to suit the space you have available.

Week 8 – Pancake flipping fitness challenge

Week commencing 20th February

Pancake Day falls this week so we’ve got a pancake-inspired fitness challenge to keep children busy!

Since pancakes are flipped up and down, this week’s workout contains exercises that require up and downward movements. Can you complete three reps of the following:

• 20 x press ups (kids on their knees, adults on their feet)
• 20 x bunny hops
• 20 x explosive squat jumps
• 20 x sit ups
• 20 x step ups

Week 9 – World Book Day challenge

Week commencing 27th February

As it’s World Book Day this week (2nd March), challenge your family to select 10 favourite characters from children’s story books. They could be animals, aliens, dinosaurs or sportsmen. Once you have chosen your 10 characters, try running or walking like each one, mimicking their movements. Will you waddle like a penguin, stomp like a T-Rex, or fly like a bird? Let your imaginations run wild!

Week 1 – Dance party

Week commencing 2nd January

Celebrate the start of a new year with a fun 15-minute family dance party! Play your favourite tunes, turn up the music and bust out your best moves! Take it in turns to make up your own dance routine (think Simon says) or dial up the challenge by adding a freeze dance section! It’s guaranteed to get the blood pumping and faces smiling!

Week 2 – Winter scavenger hunt

Week commencing 9th January

It may be cold outside but it’s a great time to head out on a winter scavenger hunt with family. Take a long walk through the woods, or see how many items you can spot on your walk to school:

• Fallen leaves
• Robin
• Pine cone
• Pigeon
• Bare tree
• Puddle
• Footprints in mud or snow
• Feather
• Clouds
• Winter berries
• Moss
• Rose hips
• Bumpy bark
• Pebble

Keep a record of how many items the child manages to spot.

Week 3 – Indoor obstacle course

Week commencing 16th January

Obstacle courses encourage your creativity to run wild and can be adapted to suit the equipment or space you have available.

Set up a simple obstacle course in a safe area in the house (avoid sharp corners or walls). Aim to add about 6-8 different activities within the course. Here are some of our favourites:

• Crawl under tables
• Stick a line of masking tape to the floor and pretend it’s a balance beam to walk along
• Climb over footstools
• Crab walk from one room to another or one piece of furniture to another
• Lay cushions on the floor and leap like a frog from one to the next
• Crawl through a tunnel of blankets or sheets hung over chairs or sofas
• Throw balled socks, a softball or small teddy bears into laundry baskets – how many can you score?
• 20 jumping jacks on a designated spot
• Bowl over a stack of plastic cups

An obstacle course works both indoors and outdoors but as the weather can be a little temperamental it’s best to set yours up indoors – perfect for a rainy day!

Time yourselves. Who will be the first person to complete the course in the fastest time?

Week 4 – Winter workout HIIT

Week commencing 23rd January

Hiit is a great form of physical exercise, being super for cardiovascular health, strength and endurance.

Work your way through the following fitness activities, completing each one for 40 seconds, with a 20 second rest in between:

• Hold a plank
• 20 sit ups
• Jump rope
• 10 push ups (kids do them on their knees, adults on their feet)
• Left leg forward lunge
• Jumping jacks
• Squats
• Jump from side to side
• Frog jumps
• Wall sit
• Arm circles
• Right leg forward lunge
• Jog on the spot
• Touch toes then reach for the sky

Week 5 – Balloon volleyball

Week commencing 30th January

Get the whole family moving with an exhilarating and hilarious game of balloon volleyball! Inflate your balloon(s) and clear the area (to avoid accidents) then take it in turns to keep the balloon in the air.

As an extra challenge set the timer to see how long you can keep the balloon in play. Each time you play, see if you can keep the balloon off the ground for an even longer period of time!