The pandemic has caused modifications of what we consider as normal, and that includes the activities of our children. As a parent, emphasizing the safety of our kids is the fore of our precautionary measures.
However, it entails lots of adjustments, which includes keeping them inside our homes. Thus, outside activities aren’t recommendable in this time of health crisis.
But we all know that physical activities are essential for our kids’ growth because it improves their muscular strength, flexibility, endurance, body composition, and cardiovascular endurance, among other health benefits.
Physical activities will also help them develop their motor skills which are very important for their development as a human.
But how can we make their daily physical activities enjoyable while staying at home?
Well, here are some excellent and easy ideas that you can try without going outside your premises.
Stop Dance
Dancing is one of the easiest ways to get your body moving. You can also do this fun activity, both indoors and outdoors. All you need is music and your good. When we conducted this activity, I added an extra twist where they will ‘freeze’ into a particular shape or copy an inanimate object around us.
Body Alphabet
You can encourage your kids to form the Alphabet with their bodies. This will allow them to be creative while stretching their bodies. You can also include a spelling challenge to make it extra fun.
Find An Object
This activity works like ‘Bring me’ and will encourage identification. I asked the kids to collect objects with different colors in different quantities. For example, I asked for three green objects and four yellow objects. Once they got the items, I asked them to add or count the things they have. This activity is a fun way to mix PE and Math. It will also help them visualize how addition works.
Story Role-Playing
Another fun activity to do is role-playing their favorite story. Choose a book where characters do a lot of movements, or you can create your storyline along the way. To make it more fun, let the kids wear costumes.
Here’s a fun story I made with the kids:
Follow the Leader
You won’t need any prop for this activity. Just choose one family member to be the leader and let the kids follow and copy what the leader does. You can take turns in selecting the leader. Include some stretching, movements, and walking around the house to encourage everyone to exercise.
Pass The Water
This activity is perfect for families with several members. One kid will get water from the bucket using a smaller bucket and pass it to another family member. The last person will have to pour the water into the plants. This was my fun way of tricking the kids in doing some chores at home. I let them walk and carry small buckets of water as exercise. I also asked them to count how many turns it took them to empty the pail.
Once done, I allow them to take a bath and swim in the buckets as a reward. This simple activity will boost their counting skills, cooperation, and body-coordination.
Takeaway
Staying at home often causes boredom and a lack of physical activity for the kids. But by diverting their innocent minds through physical games is a good exercise during this lasting quarantine period.
Dabawenya Mommy 