Family Activity Guide, Age-by-Age

8 to 13 Years

Try a Trail

Mark off time on your calendar to try two new parks, trails, or bike paths this month. For ideas, call your local parks and recreation department (or check online).

Calories burned in 90 minutes of biking: 576

Activity Calendar

Create an activity calendar. Cut out magazine pictures of biking, hiking, and running through the sprinkler, laminate them, and put double-sided tape on the back. Let your child choose the first one and stick it on the calendar. Fill it up so you have four or five days of activities weekly.

Payoff: 384 calories burned in 60 minutes of cross-country hiking.

Walking Club

Start a 10,000-Step Club. Buy a pedometer (check out the cute selection at amazon.com). Then plot several walks throughout the day -- around the neighborhood, on a local nature trail, up and down the library steps, at the mall (10,000 steps, or about five miles, is what the experts say we ought to average daily to stay fit and keep the extra weight off).

Payoff: 224 calories burned in 60 minutes of walking at a brisk 3.5 mph pace.

Create an Obstacle Course

Design an obstacle course. Set out cones to weave through, overturned buckets to leap over and a limbo pole. Try to beat your speed using the cute Bell Stopwatch, which you can wear on your belt loop. ($12.99; Kmart)

Calories burned in 1 hour: 420

In-Line Skating Clubs

Try an in-line skating club. Find one at skatelog.com, where you can look up local indoor and outdoor places to skate, plus classes that teach safety, moves, and more.

Calories burned in 1 hour: 1,050