A recent home remodeling project or a home purchase gives you so much room to transform different areas of the house as you please. Since the pandemic has kept many of us and our kids from comfortably leaving the safety of our homes, it is essential to set up a space that encourages leisure.
In creating these areas at home, remember to consider what your kids can enjoy, too. Because you miss the outdoors, it is time to bring the outside in and break a sweat with some exciting activities at home.
Here is a guide on the must-have games in your home arcade to safely enjoy bonding with the big kids in the family while staying fit together.
Features for Your Home Entertainment Area
It is possible to build a home arcade that prioritizes physical fitness, too. Include these features in your entertainment room for a space that keeps your kids’ interests in mind.
1. Test your skills at indoor bowling
Bowling is an activity that brings any family back to a season when spending time out together was a simpler matter. It also keeps you fit and healthy, no matter where you are age-wise.
Another fantastic thing about bowling is that it is possible to recreate bowling alleys in your own home. Just leave the professionals to do it, of course.
Since it takes up a significant amount of space, a mini bowling setup is preferable for homes. This allows you to install other gaming equipment should you be interested in diversifying your games and facilities.
2. Challenge yourselves with some dancing
Encouraging kids to exercise is not the easiest task a parent has to do, but this is usually because the things they are told to do aren’t preferable for kids their age. The key is to let them exercise through activities that interest them, such as dancing and playing video games.
Today, many iterations of video games incorporate movement, thanks to the introduction of virtual reality (VR) and gaming cameras. Bring your gaming console to the entertainment room and install games, such as Just Dance and Dance Central, to enjoy some dancing with the gang.
You can also go old school by downloading Dance Dance Revolution or similar games into your console and buying your own step pad. Whichever method you choose, both are still great for sweating it out.
3. Install an indoor slide
Replicate the experience of letting your kids play freely on the playground by installing a slide that leads to your entertainment room. There are various ways to accomplish this, too, from simply laying a slide over your stairs to incorporating it into your floor plan that goes from one floor to another.
The act of riding a slide does not have upfront fitness benefits, but going down the slide is so enjoyable that small and big kids would not mind climbing up a ladder or the stairs to try it again. With repetition, this activity acts as a good cardio workout. With a big enough slide, adults can enjoy it, too!
4. Do some indoor basketball
For a family that loves sports but does not have enough space for a full basketball court, there are numerous versions of basketball arcade games that you can purchase online. Some machines have multiplayer setups, too, so you can hold mini competitions at home.
The higher-end models also have various game modes and digital scoreboards to automatically keep track of your scores during the game. While these are not as physically involved as a complete game, they are enough for a simple and fun exercise.
5. Get a ping pong table
Table tennis is an example of a sport that can be safely played indoors. It does not require too much movement, so you won’t be taking up too much space. Also, the equipment necessary does not put any of your surrounding furniture in danger of damage.
As a sport, it is also not intimidating for kids to try. You can do simple rallies with your kids to help them get the hang of the motions. Up to four players can also play a game at once, so more family members can join in the fun with every match.
Transforming a portion of your home into a special entertainment area should reveal to you just how versatile it can be. Playing games and staying physically fit are not mutually exclusive. You can follow the suggestions discussed above to mindfully create a space that gives you the best of both worlds.
