Healthy Movers
Being active is essential as part of your child’s development! Not only does movement help your child’s motor skills develop, like balancing on one foot, holding a pencil, etc. but it also helps keep their mind engaged in the world around them.
It’s recommended kids are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, with 30 minutes of this outside of school.
That includes 3 sessions a week of exercise that strengthens their bones and muscles, so variety is key!
Why being active matters?
There are lots of good reasons for kids to be active! Research shows that physical activity helps school-age children in lots of ways. Here are some of the benefits of staying active:
Activities you can do at home
Kids need 60 minutes of physical activity each day, with at least 30 minutes of that outside of school. You don’t need to buy expensive equipment or find lots of extra time to make a difference. Every bit of movement adds up to support their health and wellbeing.
The brilliant thing about dancing is you don’t need any special kit or even much space. There are loads of ways you can shake it to a beat:
- find a live performance or music video of your favourite song and try to copy the dance routine – if it doesn’t have a routine, create your own!
- have a competition to see who can come up with the best new dance moves – can you make up a signature move for yourself?
- if you have the space and enough people, a game of musical chairs is always a winner
Tidy Up Time is a part of your everyday living, so why not get your child involved? Make tidying up a competition with your child by keeping score!
Not only will your child get exercise as they put things away, but you will also encourage your child to tidy away their toys by themselves. Developing those skills early will help your child stay involved in their environment and aware of what they can do to keep their space safe and clear.
Why not try a game of hide and seek? It doesn’t have to be with people!
Hide a toy somewhere around your living room, bedroom or even in the garden, and let your child go seeking.
Or why not try a fetch quest? Ask your child to go get something which is round, small, the colour red, etc. and see what they bring back! Not only is your child exercising but they are also exploring their environment, linking descriptive words with items and building their understanding of word meanings.
Do you have cardboard tubes and other items not due for recycling till next week? Why not use them in the meantime to recreate child-sized versions of sports!
- Grab a small foam ball and practice your own World Cup final penalty shoot-out using the sofa as a goal.
- Take cardboard tubes and line them up like skittles, and use a ball to knock them over.
- Or set up an indoor putting range using a small bouncy ball (or scrunched-up newspaper), a mug on its side for the hole and a broom handle as a golf club.
These activities teach children how their actions (kicking, pushing, hitting) affect other objects around them (the skittles fall over, the mug makes a ‘tink’ noise when the paper hits it), and develops their balance and gross motor skills.
Did you know that strengthening exercises are just as important as something that gets your heart beating faster? It helps with stronger bones and muscles, as well as flexibility, balance and coordination.
There is a huge range of yoga videos and guides online so that a look on YouTube Kids, or if you don’t need visuals, try Spotify. Yoga will not only improve your child’s balance and coordination, but some families have also found it helps their child calm down after being frustrated or having lots of energy.
Alongside the activities suggested above, Youth Sport Trust has also supplied some activity cards you and your child can do at home! Download their Healthy Movers at Home resources for easy, mobile-friendly ideas to help your little ones move, play, and grow every day.
The PDF also includes a list of the equipment you will require for each activity.
