Many of us already find it hard enough to keep the kids entertained on school holidays. Add social distancing, school closures and possibly longer holidays into the mix and it’s a recipe that will make the whole family go a little bit stir crazy. While we all might agree TV and screen time plays its part in these unprecedented times, it’s still important to get the kids moving and having fun.
Physical activity can be as exciting as a video game with the added benefit of endorphins being released into your child’s brain because of the exercise. This hormone makes them feel positive, happy, and good in a way that digital activities never could! We have come up with 5 activities that your kids can do indoors and outdoors to encourage exercising.
5 Exercises Your Kids Can do Indoors
The trick to getting kids to enjoy exercising is to make it fun, it shouldn’t feel like a chore. Allocate some time in your day devoted to family exercising. You can make it a competition between siblings, mum and dad or work to improve personal bests. Here are some indoor exercise ideas and tips on how to make them fun.
1. Bear Crawls- Palms and feet flat on the floor, arch your back so that you look like a bear. Race your kids across the room or make a short obstacle course.
2. Star Jumps- Kids love these! Time to see who can do the most in a minute or perhaps keep a chart with their daily personal best.
3. Burpees- These are tough so the more competitive kids will love the challenge. Start with a jump up, then drop to a plank, add a push-up, and then jump back up. It should be one fluid motion and try not to pause between repetitions. The kids will love when they can do more of these than mum and dad.
4. Planking competitions- Elbows on the floor and balanced on your tiptoes, go eye-to-eye and see who can last the longest.
5. Lunges- Step forward and bend your front knee to a 90-degree angle. The goal is to have your back knee touch the ground without letting your front knee extend past your toes. Give your kids an Easter egg on a spoon to carry from one end to the other to increase the challenge.
Why not keep a record of your achievements and have your kids make charts and graphs to track the families progress?
5 Healthy Activities for The Outdoors
For some of us it has been a long time since we were kids and over time, we have forgotten about the good old-fashioned fun we used to have in the great outdoors. Get the kids outside and try some of these fun activities. Again, you can encourage their maths and writing skills by getting them to design the activities and write instructions or clues where needed.
1. Obstacle courses-This is a fun way to exercise. Create a course with obstacles and different challenges that your child must navigate.
2. Races- A simple idea but you can always add in some of the indoor exercises into the race and create different challenges.
3. Sports- Get the kids outside playing a game of sport. Perhaps teach them something new or invest in some new equipment, most sports can be played in a backyard without a large financial outlay.
4. Treasure Hunt- For this one the treasure might be some early Easter eggs. Write clues and hide them around the house. The kids work their way from one clue to the next until they find treasure. You can add tasks into each clue eg ‘do 10 burpees then run to the back door for your next clue’.
5. Gardening- Simple activities like gardening are great healthy activities for kids.
Include the Whole Family
While we are being recommended to limit our social interactions, this is a great time to enjoy some family time while encouraging your kids to participate in these healthy activities. It is important to look after your physical health at this time and exercising is also beneficial in maintaining your mental health and happiness.
Can My Child Still See the Physio?
If you or one of your children requires treatment during this time, please contact us to make an appointment – Home Visits or TeleHealth Consultations are available if you can’t make it into the clinic. To book please call the clinic on 38691099 or book online