It can be difficult keeping your child active even in a regular school year, let along during a pandemic and when their school is also their living room. But there are fast and simple ways of making sure your child is regularly exercising, and keeping it interesting so your child may not even realize they’re working out!
Regular Exercise
Exercise and napping go hand-in-hand in keeping your child active while also allowing their bodies to relax and reset for more play. Getting the rest they need while also exercising not only helps their physical wellbeing, but also their cognitive abilities and overall attitudes as well. Younger children around preschool age, need roughly 180 minutes of physical activity a day, while children aged 5 to 17 need about 60 minutes of mild to moderate physical activity. And while it’s important to get your child to move around, it may seem boring to them if they’re simply told to play football with their sibling or just run around; they crave new and different experiences, and will want to move around more when the activities are unique or include multiple choices.
Fun and Games
An even easier way of getting your children to move around is when it’s not something they immediately think of as “exercise”. Dancing is a great way to get your child’s body moving without it feeling like a “task” or “chore”. Everybody enjoys dancing, no matter the musical genre. And to keep it interesting, you can switch it up by actually trying to learn a dance, such as swing, ballroom, or salsa dancing with your child. You can also play games that involve dancing, such as freeze dancing, where a song is played and children will dance, then a designated DJ will turn the music off and everyone has to freeze.
If your children are younger, games like Duck, Duck, Goose provide the same type of exercise and play, as does Tag or even Hide and Seek. If your child loves books and stories, you can incorporate them into staying active as well; choose books with a repetitive word, such as “cat”, and read them out loud to your child. Every time the repetitive word, such as “cat”, is read, they are required to do something active, like a jumping jack, a sit up, or even a silly dance – anything that gets them moving works. If your child is more video game inclined, break out the Wii sports games or other physically active video games your child loves and get ready to move.
Keep Moving
No matter what your child is interested in, there’s always a way to create a more physically active version of it. It may take some creativity on your part, but it’s well worth it to keep your child engaged and moving.
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