Growing Deeper
Jesus in our challenges!
Quick jumps:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | |
---|---|---|---|
Mark 4:45-52 | Jesus spends time alone | Jesus walks on water | Jesus meets our needs |
Warm-up | Dance and freeze | Arm circles and body shapes | Bear and crab walk |
Move | Partner lunges | Slow deep lunges | Weighted lunges |
Challenge | Penguin jump tabata | Tower challenge | Fill the cup |
Explore | Read the verses and listen in silence | Read verses and statue poses | Read the verses and draw two faces |
Play | Squat and run | Build a tower race | Throw the ball challenge |
Watch the family.fit five steps
Getting started
Help your family to be active this week with three fun sessions:
- Involve everyone – anyone can lead!
- Adapt for your family
- Encourage each other
- Challenge yourselves
- Don’t exercise if it causes pain
Share family.fit with others:
- Post a photo or video on social media and tag with #familyfit or @familyfitnessfaithfun
- Do family.fit with another family
Day 1: Warm-up
Dance and freeze
Put on some up-tempo music. Everyone dances using their whole bodies. Take turns to stop the music. Everyone freezes when it stops and then does 10 speed skaters.
Repeat until everyone is breathing heavily.
Rest and talk together.
What do you enjoy about times when you’re alone? What don’t you like?
Go deeper: Why is it important to schedule time alone in your life?
Day 1: Move
Partner lunges
Stand straight with hands on hips. Step forward with one leg and lower your hips until your front knee is bent at 90 degrees. Alternate legs.
Practice lunges in pairs facing each other. Start slowly and carefully. Do four rounds of 10 repetitions. Rest between each round.
Go easier: Do two rounds.
Go harder: Increase repetitions to 20 each round.
Day 1: Challenge
Penguin jump tabata
Listen to the Tabata music.
Work in pairs. As one person sits against a wall (without a chair), the other person jumps like a penguin (arms straight down with hands tapping side). Do this for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds and swap places. Do eight rounds.
Go harder: Repeat and try to beat your personal record.
Day 1: Explore
Jesus spends time alone
Read Mark 6:45-52 from the Bible.
In this section of Mark’s account, Jesus spends a lot of time with crowds of people. He feeds them, heals them, and teaches them. The events in this story reveal two important priorities for Jesus. He spends time with His Father, and He cares for His friends.
Discuss:
Play some loud music, clap along, stamp your feet to the rhythm, and sing. After a short time stop the music. Stand still and be silent. Listen carefully. What do you hear?
After a busy day with crowds, Jesus sends His friends away and takes time to be alone and silent. He prays.
- What do you think Jesus might have prayed about?
Chat to God: Everyone find a space in the home to be alone for a few minutes. Ask God to show you what He wants you to know today.
Day 1: Play
Squat and run
Place two containers on the ground about five meters apart. Put four objects in one container.
One person moves four objects (one at a time) from one container to the other while a second person does squats. The person squatting then becomes the runner and a third family member does squats. Repeat until everyone has had a turn at squats and running.
Health tip
Drink more water.
Day 2: Warm-up
Arm circles and body shapes
Arm circles: Stand in a circle and together complete 15 of each arm movement. Small circles forward, small circles backward, big circles forward, big circles backward.
Body shapes: Lie face down, arms overhead and palms facing each other. Move your arms like the hands of a clock into each formation.
Do three rounds.
Rest and talk together.
Share some stories about when any of your family members were ‘rescued’ from a difficult situation.
Go deeper: What motivates you to respond to someone else’s need?
Day 2: Move
Slow deep lunges
Practice the slow lunge. Today our focus is on tempo.
Step forward with one leg and count to five as you slowly lower your hips until your back knee touches the ground. Stand up quickly. Repeat for the other leg.
Be a turtle, not a rabbit!
Repeat five times per leg.
Go easier: Decrease the tempo and count to three as you lunge.
Day 2: Challenge
Tower challenge
Work in pairs with six cups per pair. One person holds superman while the other does five squats. After each round place one cup to build a tower. Swap roles. Do six rounds. Try to build your tower as fast as possible each time.
Go harder: Make a triangular tower with 10 cups.
Day 2: Explore
Jesus walks on water
Read Mark 6:45-52.
Notice Jesus’ pattern here:
- He prays to God
- He sees His friends’ need
- He then goes to their aid.
Make statue poses for these three aspects from the story. Have fun capturing them in different ways. Take a photo on your phone. Share @familyfitnessfaithfun
Discuss:
- Who can you see in need today?
- What could your ‘going’ look like?
Chat to God: Lord give us eyes to see the needs of people around us. Give us wisdom and commitment as we respond to those needs.
Day 2: Play
Build a tower race
Divide into two teams. Each team finds eight objects around the house to use to build a tower.
Have a race to build the tallest tower possible. Do it as a relay.
Alternatively, set different challenges each time using the same objects, such as strongest tower, most creative tower, widest tower, and so on.
Health tip
Drink more water.
The body can’t store water. It needs a fresh supply every day.
Day 3: Warm-up
Bear and crab walk
Bear walk across the room and crab walk back. Do five laps.
Bear walk: Walk face down with feet and hands on the floor.
Crab walk: Walk face up with feet and hands on the floor.
Rest and talk together.
When have you been terrified?
Go deeper: What helped you cope when you were terrified?
Day 3: Move
Weighted lunges
Add weight to the lunge. Wear a backpack with a book in it or hold water bottles in your hands. Think creatively to find weights the right size for each person. Remember to keep a proper technique.
Complete two sets of 10 repetitions. Rest 30 seconds between sets.
Go harder: Hold the weight over your head while performing the lunges.
Day 3: Challenge
Fill the cup challenge
Using a chair, each person does three dips and then runs to a marker to scoop water into a glass using a spoon. Tag the next person to continue. Keep going in a relay until the glass is full.
Three dips = one spoon.
Go harder: Increase the number of dips per spoonful.
Day 3: Explore
Jesus meets our needs
Read Mark 6:45-52.
The disciples changed from being terrified to being amazed.
Everyone draws a terrified face on one side of a piece of paper and an amazed face on the other. As the story is read, each person responds by showing the appropriate face on their paper.
Discuss:
Jesus says, “Take courage! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” What does it mean for you if you say ‘Jesus is in my boat today?’
Chat to God: Make an imaginary boat big enough for your family. Sit in it together and pray for each other to experience the presence of Jesus in your challenges.
Day 3: Play
Throw the ball challenge
Everyone makes a paper ball and practices throwing and catching with one hand. Then everyone stands in a circle and throws their ball to the right at the same time as they catch the ball from the left. Encourage one other.
Go harder: Increase the speed.
Health tip
Drink more water.
People need different amounts of water each day depending on their age, gender and activity level.
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