With schools being closed and many parents taking up the role of teacher, we wanted to explore different ways that you can keep your families active and entertained.
CMO guidelines recommend that children aged 5-18 years old should be physically active for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week. But what benefits do children and young people get out of being active?
- Enjoyment, physical activity is fun and with such a wide variety of activities being available, there is something for everyone!
- It’s good for you. Everyday physical activity supports healthy growth and development and provides other health benefits
- Physical activity can help blow off steam by helping to reduce stress and anxiety and aiding mental wellbeing.
- It aids concentration by directing blood flow to the brain which can help with those home school sessions!
Ideas to help your children be active at home
Don’t worry if you don’t think you can fit in 60 minutes as some activity is better than none. You can always start small and look to increase each day.
- Get out in the back garden. Kick a football around or organise some fun races to get your heart rate up. Even gardening can count!
- Put on some music and dance, take it in turns to pick your favourite tune.
- Stream an on-line workout designed especially for kids such as Joe Wicks the Body Coach or join in his live stream every day on Facebook at 9am.
- Utilise Change 4 Life's 10 minute shake up games. There are lots of different ones to choose from!
- To help with your home schooling, imoves have a number of free resources you can sign up to receive to see interactive activities such as activity blasts or an activity of the day.
- Get out in the fresh air and walk, bike and scoot a daily mile (or more). Please note it is important that you follow the guidance on social distancing that you can find here.
- Discover all the benefits of active learning through BBC Supermovers. A series of interactive sessions linked to the National Curriculum.
- Cosmic Yoga have designed a number of adventures aimed specifically at kids that teach yoga.
- The Youth Sport Trust have developed a series of resources to help you teach PE at home. You can find them on their website.
Younger Children – try these!
- A simple game of Simon says incorporating different activities will get children moving.
- The nursery song Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes will get little ones. You can find a version on YouTube by Mr Tumble here.
- Tumble tots at home are running a daily live session on Facebook each day. Alternatively you can catch a pre-recorded sessions here.
