Whether you homeschool full time or are still choosing to teach your child remotely because of COVID-19, staying home all day can make it hard for kids to get enough exercise. Here’s how to keep your kids active while homeschooling.
Why Exercise is Important For Kids
Exercise is always important for a growing child, but without a designated gym period, it’s particularly important to make sure they get the recommended amount of daily physical activity. Preschoolers should get at least one hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day. This can be playing soccer in the backyard, going on a bike ride, or participating in a sport.
Physical activity in children has lots of health benefits. It can help improve their sleep, school performance, and behavior, just to name a few. Staying active also reduces the risk of cardiovascular health and other diseases that can set in later in life. Finally, it provides mental health benefits and helps destress children, particularly those that get anxious easily or have difficulty concentrating in school.
How to Make Sure Your Child Gets Enough Exercise
Making sure your kid is receiving enough exercise while homeschooling can be tricky sometimes and may feel overwhelming when you consider the full hour they should be getting every day. But it’s easy to do when activities are broken up throughout the day.
Taking short, active breaks between classes or lessons can make physical activity feel fun and exciting. This will make your child more likely to participate in the activity and it will help them focus on lessons later on by burning pent-up energy from sitting for long stretches of time.
What counts as physical activity? Family walks around the neighborhood, exercise-oriented video games, online workout classes that are appropriate for children, and free play in the yard or inside the house are all great options. Giving your child a soft ball or jump rope can keep them occupied and having fun for these stretches of time during the day. And remember — your child will be the most willing to participate in physical activity if you join along with them!
HomeschoolFacts.com has a complete list of support groups to help support you in your homeschooling endeavors and connect with homeschoolers near you. You can search the list of support groups here: https://www.homeschoolfacts.com/homeschool-support-groups.html