Throw a Living Room Dance Party


Throw a Living Room Dance Party

A fun way to stay fit when you can’t leave the house

Whether your children are toddlers or school-aged, figuring out when to exercise can be a strain to a Solo Mom’s busy schedule. There are only so many hours in a day between activities for them and your other responsibilities. Before you know it, your desire to be fit gets crowded out. It’s a bit easier when you can go outside, but when the temperature rises, the rain pours, or it’s the biting chill of winter, your options are limited. Throwing a dance party is a fun way to work out and enjoy time with your kids.

Dancing burns roughly 150-300 calories per hour, according to fitnessblender.com, and it is an easy way for everyone to move all of their body parts, get their heart rate up, and have a good time. While calories might not be your goal, modeling being active and having a good time with your kids is worth the little bit of planning it will take to get your dance party started right.

Here are three ways to get your party going.

The high tech party: Get the game Just Dance for your PlayStation, Wii, or Xbox. It has moves you can learn along with the latest music. It’s great for older children, and you can have friends over to compete or use the Dance Challenge Mode to compete against other people dancing around the world.

The low tech party: Use Pandora, Spotify, or your favorite pop channel. Most children are hopelessly addicted to pure pop. Don’t fret! You can mix it up between your music and theirs and create a playlist of upbeat tunes like:

“I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas

“I Like To Move It” by Will.I.Am

“Happy” by Pharrell Williams

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper

“You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive

“Groove Is in the Heart” by Deee-Lite

“Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson

“Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic

“Roar” by Katy Perry or (anything by Katy Perry!)

“Tightrope” by Janelle Monáe

“Shake it Out” by Florence and the Machine

“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” by Michael Jackson

“Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band

The impromptu dance-off: Ready. Set. Go! Turn on your favorite song and blast it. Shock your kids with loud music and groove. One song can leave your blood pumping and get you out of breath.

For added fun, you can go to your local party store or a thrift store and create a costume box with hats, boas, scarves, dresses, and costume jewelry. Pull it out at a moment’s notice to spice up your party. The little ones will love it.


Image via Shutterstock.com

Tanisha Christie is an interdisciplinary performing artist and filmmaker. After years of working at the nexus of arts, media, social justice, and healing, she is currently finishing her master of social work (clinical specialization) at Hunter College in New York City. A child of a Solo Mom, she loves to ride her bike to the beach.

Please feel free to contact us with any comments or questions.


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