The Ultimate Race

Press on to the goal!

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
Warm up 512

Day 1: Warm-up

Starfish

Work with a partner. One person gets in a plank position with legs apart. The other person jumps over the legs, one leg at a time and returns to the start. Repeat 10 times and then swap places.

Do three rounds.

Play Video

Rest and talk together.

How long did it take you to learn to ride a bike? What made you want to keep trying?

Go deeper: When did you last feel like giving up, but decided to push through?

Move 512

Day 1: Move

Burpee preparation

Burpee prep

Part of a burpee is pushing off the floor. Do three rounds of 5 push-ups and 10 squats. These movements will help you to build up to a burpee.

Rest between rounds.

Go harder: Increase the number of repetitions.

Challenge 512

Day 1: Challenge

Games challenge

Everyone lies face down across a line. One person shouts out the name of a sport – for example, basketball. Everyone runs to the other side of the room and pretends to bounce a ball as they go, then lies down again. Take turns to call out a sport. Others could include:

Long jump: frog-jump to the other side.

Swimming: run to the other side with swimming movements.

Be creative! Have fun!

Play Video
Explore 512

Day 1: Explore

Keep going

Read Philippians 3:12-14 from the Bible.

Paul’s main goal in life is to really know Christ, to experience Christ’s power in his life, and to become more like Him. Paul knows he still hasn’t reached his goal, but like an athlete in a race, he is determined to keep running towards the finish line. Like Paul, we too must press on towards the goal.

Try setting timers for things you like to do quickly throughout the day. For example, set a 2-minute timer for brushing your teeth and set a 15-minute timer for ‘no technology’ at dinner time.

Was it hard to continue until the timer went off?

What are some of your small goals in life?

Why is it important to have small goals aligned to your big goal in life?

Chat to God: Pray that like Paul, you will remember you haven’t arrived yet, but need to keep going in the race of life.

Play 512

Day 1: 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.

Play Video

Health tip for living long

Make good decisions for the health of the environment.

Warm up 512

Day 2: Warm-up

Follow the leader

Go for a short jog around the house or yard while everyone follows a chosen leader. Try to go to every room or space. The leader can change movements – side steps, high knees and so on. Swap leaders.

Play Video

Rest and talk together.

What was the last year like for you? Do you feel like it was successful or not?

Go deeper: What success or failure in your life do you remember from time to time?

Move 512

Day 2: Move

Practice burpees

burpee process 900

Start slowly and use the correct technique. Stand upright and move to the plank position to do a push-up on the floor. Jump your feet in and do a partial squat. Then leap into the air and clap above your head. Try to do it in one fluid movement.

Do three burpees then rest. Do five rounds.

Play Video

Go easier: Do only two rounds.

Challenge 512

Day 2: Challenge

Burpee dice challenge

burpee process 900

You will need a dice or small pieces of paper numbered 1-6 in a bowl.

Stand in a circle and take turns to roll the dice or select a piece of paper and do the number of burpees indicated. Add the total number of burpees for your family. What’s your score?

Do four rounds or play for four minutes.

Play Video

Go easier: Do two rounds.

Explore 512

Day 2: Explore

Don’t look back

Read Philippians 3:12-14.

Why shouldn’t an athlete look behind in a race?

Together write a list of some of the things that might prevent or distract followers of Jesus from running the race. Then, take the paper and throw it in the trash.

Why does Paul look forward instead of looking back?

Read about table tennis and Josephine Medina.

Chat to God: Does your family have a story of success or failure in its history? Pray that you won’t be tempted to rest on past successes or be discouraged by past failures as you run the race.

Table tennis

Josephine Medina contracted polio as a child which affected the growth of her legs. She was inspired to learn table tennis by her father who competed for his national team. She became so good at the game that she too was selected for the national team. However, she was later told she couldn’t compete because she had a disability. Her passion and determination for the game stayed strong. She refused to give up her goal. She continued playing table tennis and joined the Paralympic team, eventually winning a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“I just want to prove that disability is not a hindrance in achieving your goals. It is just an instrument in reaching success in your life.”

Play Video

How does this story inspire you to run your own race?

How can your family learn from Josephine?

Play 512

Day 2: Play

Stepping stones

Work as a team to get from one side of the room to the other by standing on only two ‘stepping stones’. A ‘stepping stone’ could be a towel, T-shirt, mat, pillow or something else. Avoid touching the ground by helping each other to balance.

Set an amount of time to do this activity and see if your family can succeed.

If you have space, play this outside.

Play Video

Reflection: What helped you succeed?

Health tip for living long

Make good decisions for the environment. Aim to cut down the use of plastics. Dispose of plastic waste carefully so it doesn’t become an environmental problem for our children. Alone we cannot fix every global problem, but we can each do something local.

Warm up 512

Day 3: Warm-up

Drop to the ground

Run around the room or yard as you do this activity.

One person is the leader. When the leader shouts out a body part such as elbow, knee, back, or ear, everyone must put that body part on the ground.

Play Video

Rest and talk together.

What reward have you been promised for finishing a difficult task?

Go deeper: Do you have a goal for the rest of the year? How will you keep focused on it?

Move 512

Day 3: Move

Burpee ball toss

burpee process 900

Stand two to three meters apart facing a partner. Throw a ball to each other without dropping it. If one of you drops the ball, do five burpees before moving to the next round.

  • Round 1: Throw and catch with the weakest hand
  • Round 2: Stand on one foot
  • Round 3: Close one eye
  • Round 4: Lay on your back

Go easier: Do two burpees for dropping the ball.

Challenge 512

Day 3: Challenge

Global burpee challenge

burpee process 900

How many burpees can your family do in 90 seconds?

Each family member does as many burpees as they can in 90 seconds. Combine the scores for the family total.

CLICK HERE to input your family score.

CLICK HERE to look at the weekly leaderboard to see your country’s progress.

Which nation will be our family.fit champions?

Explore 512

Day 3: Explore

Focus on the finish line

Read Philippians 3:12-14.

On a long strip of paper, write what Jesus promises to give us if we keep following Him to the end.

Why does focusing on the finish line help us achieve our goals?

Make this piece of paper into a finish line and run through it as a family to remember to keep focusing on our biggest goal in life.

Chat to God: Pray for God’s help to be an example to others of pressing on ‘toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us’.

Play 512

Day 3: Play

Bocce adapted

Find a ball to use as a ‘jack’ and three pieces of paper per person. Crumple the paper into balls and mark each set of three with a different color. Make a start line on the floor and roll the ‘jack’ away from you. The aim of the game is to get your balls closest to the ‘jack’. The balls must be thrown in the air, not rolled. With feet behind the line, take turns to throw one ball at a time. The winner is the one with the most balls closest to the ‘jack’.

Bocce is a sport of the Special Olympic Games which is for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Play Video

Tip for parents

Teach children about recycling. Have clearly labelled bins for different waste at home. Find a natural wilderness close by and help to keep it clean and free of plastic and waste.

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