5 Boxing Games You Can Play With Your Children in the Living Room.

You don't need a gym. You don't need gloves. You definitely don't need to know what a jab-cross-hook combo is. If your child is bouncing off the walls and you're looking for something active that doesn't involve handing them a screen -- this one's for you. These five boxing-based games are designed for the living room, take less than ten minutes to learn, and genuinely get both of you moving and laughing.

1. Reaction Tap

Stand facing each other, a comfortable arm's length apart. Hold both hands out -- palms down. Your kid places their hands underneath yours, palms up. Your goal: tap the back of their hands before they pull away. Swap roles after five attempts. One round takes about 30 seconds -- and they will beg to keep going.

2. Shadow Boxing Copycat

Stand side by side in front of a mirror or facing each other. One person leads -- slow boxing movements, guard up, jab out, shoulder roll. The other mirrors every move exactly. Switch every 60 seconds. It's genuinely funny when the leader throws in a silly move to catch you out.

3. The Freeze Frame Challenge

One person calls "MOVE" -- you both shadow box freely. When someone calls "FREEZE", both players stop dead, exactly as they are, and hold for three seconds. Wobble and you lose a point. Whoever freezes in the funniest position wins a bonus point.

4. The Guard Game

Show your kid the basic boxing guard -- hands up near the face, elbows in, light on the feet. Now one person tries to lightly touch the other's shoulders. The other uses their guard to block or move away. Switch every minute. Warning: parents are often surprisingly rubbish at this.

5. Jab the Air, Catch the Count

One person calls a number between 1 and 5. Both of you throw that many jabs into the air -- fast and clean. First person to finish their count and get back into their guard wins the round. First to ten rounds wins.