London’s children are finally back at school, and we could not be happier for them. Even though kids can burn off some energy on the playground, with restrictions still gradually easing, it’s challenging to keep them busy at the weekend. So we’re here to help. Here is a list of some fun activities to keep the kids active and healthy at home.
Daily Walks
Going for a walk daily in most cases can easily be added to a schedule. It does not have to be a long walk at all, but even just going for a short 15-minute walk each day around the neighbourhood with your child will help. Not only does this give your child a taste of fresh air, but it also means that they are not stuck inside all day. It doesn’t have to be the same route every time, and you can always encourage your child to ride their bike or scooter as you walk for a change too.
Treasure Hunt
You might think that something like this would take a lot of space, but it does not have to. To set up a treasure hunt all, it takes it using an object from around the house or a prize of some kind (this could be as simple as printing and cutting out some gold coins) and letting your child try and find them all around the house. Use every palace you can, living room, bedrooms and your garden. Make them search high and low to increase the fun.
If you want to give them a helping hand, you could get a little creative and make a map for your children to help them with their hunt.
Try making it an immersive experience if you have younger children by dressing up with them as pirates or explorers.
Bingo Cards
Why not play a game of bingo either in your own home or outside? All you need to do is make a bingo card simply by drawing a table and some images or words to denote items around you.
If you are inside your home, it could be something as simple as a toy or item for each colour of the rainbow. If you want to make it more challenging, you could have your child search for specific items. Making it a race against the clock is always fun too!
Mini sports Day or Obstacle Course
Another easy activity to do for your children is to create an obstacle course around your home. You could include anything you want to get kids racing through the house to complete all the challenges you have set up. They could include things like an egg and spoon race, completing a penalty kick, using a table or piece of string to limbo under. You could use anything and everything; all you need to do is get a little creative with it.
You can put your children against each other. Or, if you only have one child, you could time them so they can beat their best times.
YouTube Activity/PE Sessions
There are many great resources for getting kids active online now. Many sessions of which are available via YouTube for free.
For example, you may have seen recently on our Instagram that we made a post about a duo called Tanzii TV. They are a pair of primary school teachers who have set up a YouTube channel to get kids active through the lockdown. Especially if you have younger children, take a look at this pair to get started.
If you too are feeling a little low during lockdown please do get stuck in with your children and get active. Being active really does have a positive effect on your mental and physical wellbeing.
One other thing that you can do to improve the mental health of the children in your community is supporting our ‘Someone to Talk to’ project. Please do check out the page on our website and our previous blog on ways to support the project.
