Janine Didyk, Physiotherapist
I have a 3 year old son and an 8 year old daughter and both definitely need to burn off energy! Children are used to moving often throughout the day. While we are all staying home here are some tips to keep those kids happy, healthy and moving.
We start each day with Cosmic Kids Yoga (Cosmic Kids in the App Store, Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube). There are lots of different themes for your Spiderman or Frozen obsessed child.
Both of my children attend classes which are now cancelled. Here are some ideas on how you might be able to recreate some of those activities at home.
Gym class: Warm up – run, skip and hop. We have a pull up bar that we use for hanging, skin the cat, front support and pull overs. My son is very creative and often uses tables for front support and 2 solid surfaces to act as parallel bars. Tape a line on the ground for a balance beam. Mats go down on the ground to practice somersaults and cartwheels.
Dance class: Many dance studios are offering online classes so check with your local studio. Search Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for dance videos your kids can follow along with. At my house, dance parties are common and one of our current projects is choreographing a dance that my kids are practicing so we can put on a show for grandparents.
Good old fashioned movements: squatting, jumping jacks and burpees! “Who can do 10 ________ the fastest!”
Outside fun: Yards, sidewalks and parks. We have been practicing our ball kicking and throwing skills. Balance skills are tested by walking around the edges of play structures. Red light/Green light running/stopping games and frisbee practice in the fields.
Walking through the neighbourhood: Search for decorated windows (Facebook’s Winnipeg Window Gallery) or create a scavenger hunt to find all sorts of objects in the neighbourhood. Now that the streets are clearing up we can ride bikes and scooters.
When in doubt, just let those kids run circles inside your home. My kids are lucky to be home with a puppy that loves to chase and be chased and the bonus for us is that everyone gets tired! There is nothing better than modelling good exercise habits for your children. Participate and start new family activity traditions!