Top tips to keep children active
Staying active while you are spending so much time at home will help the whole family. It may seem really difficult to do this with the current restrictions to our daily lives …BUT, there’s lots that we can do to get our children off the sofa. The tips and links below are full of ideas to keep children happily active and healthy. The more children move, the better for them – and we also get a calmer, happier home.
Indoor activity ideas
- Try an indoor scavenger hunt. Ask children to dash around your home collecting a list of items, returning to you each time with the object. Depending on the age of your children, the list could include items like: a cuddly toy, a pencil, something orange, a vegetable, a tube of toothpaste, something square, a book, a spoon, a shoe, etc.
- Think about involving children in household tasks like tidying, dusting or sorting washing – you might be surprised by how much they enjoy helping
- Teach children songs with actions or put music on and encourage them to dance. You could join online sing-along activity or dance classes.
- Andy’s Wild Workouts (BBC)
- Boogie Beebies (BBC)
- Change4life indoor activities for children
- Cosmic Yoga (YouTube)
- Remember traditional indoor activities such as hide-and-seek and den-building (drape blankets over chairs or sofa cushions to create a den) – they’re great forms of exercise and LOVED by children.
- Make an indoor obstacle course with household objects and furniture – encourage children to crawl under, jump and climb over objects to complete the course.
- For babies who aren’t yet crawling, daily tummy-time is important. It helps develop the strength and coordination needed for sitting and crawling. When they’re ready, place babies on their tummy on the floor and encourage them to reach, grasp, pull and push toys and objects around them. Gradually increase the amount of daily time they spend on their tummies, building up to 30 minutes spread throughout the day. Have a look at the following BBC videos about tummy-time:
- Once babies are crawling (or bottom shuffling), encourage them to move as much as possible (always ensuring spaces are safe). Crawling gives babies independence and an opportunity to explore their surroundings. Try making a tunnel from an empty cardboard box and urge them to crawl through or move towards objects or around furniture.
- Join in! Children copy us so try to be a role model. Get involved in play and activities - they will love it and hopefully, you will too!
Ensure children are supervised at all times.
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