Family Activity Guide, Age-by-Age

18 Months to 5 Years

Try dancing with the kids in your living room. Got two left feet? Check out bustamove.com to learn all sorts of teachable moves.

Calories burned in 30 minutes: 144

Play an old school game with your kids, like Red Rover, Kick the Can, or Red Light, Green Light, in the backyard -- fun and nostalgic for you, a blast for them! Rusty on the rules? Look 'em up online. One site to try: gameskidsplay.net.

Payoff: 320 calories burned in 60 minutes of games.

Do a fitness swap with a friend or neighbor. Raid each other's garages and borrow three pieces of equipment each -- a mini trampoline, tennis racquets, a bocce ball set. Then try them out with your kids. It's a great way to mix things up and test different activities without springing for all-new gear. Or have a neighborhood fitness block party. Pick three or four neighbors; do an activity at one house, then run to the next!

Payoff: 112 calories burned in 30 minutes of bouncing on a trampoline.

Create a bowling alley in your driveway using empty water bottles as pins and a softball as the bowling ball. Setting up the pins and running after the ball really boosts your heart rate. (Hey, there's no auto-return here!)

Calories burned in 1 hour: 336

Take a full-on walking tour of the zoo -- no tram, all on foot. Before you go, log on to learnanimals.com for cool facts to chat about during your visit.

Calories burned in 2 hours: 420