Let's Get Active: Exercise Inspiration for Kids
In the UK, we are several weeks into our January National Lockdown with the nation, once more, being told to stay home. With the closure of schools to the majority of pupils, parents and carers have found themselves home schooling once again. With competing priorities, such as working from home, ensuring kids are logged on for virtual lessons and helping kids complete their classwork as well as normal everyday chores, it can be difficult to make time for physical activity.
It is vital that kids are still given frequent opportunities to burn off some steam and get moving. The NHS recommends that children and youths (ages 5-18) partake in at least 60 minutes of ‘moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity’ each day. In the 2017 to 2018 academic year, Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey found that only 18% of children meet the minimum recommendation for daily exercise and physical activity. Lack of exercise and physical activity can have a negative effect on children’s health and wellbeing including childhood obesity, increased risk of health conditions such as diabetes and low mood.
How Can We Get Active?
Without a trusty PE teacher to guide us, it can be difficult to think of ways to get our little learners active. However, PE should not be a chore; it should always be fun! Here are some ideas for ways to get your kids moving and shaking in between home learning and quality family time.
Running
Challenge your kids to complete a set number of laps around the garden or the local park! Set an appropriate level of challenge for your child’s age. For example, a 10 year old can run further than a 4 year old! Always bear in mind any health conditions when setting any tasks involving physical activity.
Obstacle Courses
You can easily set up an obstacle course in your garden, within a large room in the house, or even a local green space! Grab a variety of items you have laying around the house and garden. For example, planks of wood can be used as balancing beams and buckets could be lined up with spaces in between for your kids to run in and out of.
Use the internet
The internet is an amazing source of inspiration for daily workouts for kids! Joe Wickes is legendary for his workouts with these streaming these daily on Youtube. There are a wealth of similar ideas, including dance. As always, please moderate the content yourself before sharing with your kids.
Alternate movements
- Star jumps
- Squats
- Bunny hops
- Hopping
- Skipping
- Sit ups
- Leg raises
- Lunges
- Jumping Jacks
Channel your inner personal trainer and fire out movements to your kids in a random order. You can vary the pace by deciding how long (or how short) each movement goes on for.
There are a wealth of activities which are not obviously geared at physical activity. If you are seeking a more gentle form of exercise to ease your kids in to the swing of things gradually consider the following…
- Gardening
- Bike riding
- Scooters
- Roller skates
- Rolling races
- Mini sports days
- Walking the dog
- Treasure hunts
To all the you hero homeschoolers, you are doing a fantastic job! Jaques of London will continue to publish free learning resources throughout this national lockdown. We hope to make home schooling stress-free and enjoyable for all. Sign up to our emails for priority access.
