The Coronavirus stay-at-home predicament has put a stop to the regular routines of our lives. You may be juggling working from home with taking care of the kids. Your kids, on break from school, may be facing boredom or are completely distracted from anything productive.
As much as having fun and finding time to relax during this quarantine is important, we must also focus on staying active. Instead of allowing your child to succumb to mindless usage of their electronic device of choice, ensure that they are active in both body and mind.
Okay, but how do you keep your child active?
Believe it or not, it is possible to combine fun and productive activities. Depending on the age range of your kids, certain things will interest them over others. We’ve included a list of activities that will keep their body and mind active below. Choose the ones that feel most appropriate for your kids!
1. Ensure regular physical activity
Here are some creative ideas for you:
Use some electrical tape to create an indoor hopscotch grid!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ1LfIej97p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Some variations of this game can be used to teach your child to count or spell out words using their hops to different lettered boxes! This activity may be more appropriate for the younger aged children in your home, anywhere from age 3 to age 9.
2. Create some DIY Tennis equipment!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-MVAeKjfLh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
As can be seen in the video, all you need is some paper plates, empty paper towel rolls or popsicle sticks, and some sort of adhesive. Contrary to popular belief, you’ll see that this one is a favorite with everyone. We have a feeling that your older ones will love this one in particular!
Of course, you can forgo the rackets and play balloon volleyball or soccer instead. This is a great way to keep everyone in the house active and occupied during this coronavirus quarantine!
3. Keep up with the trends and learn a TikTok dance or two!
Tiktok dances are notoriously short and can be paced at any rate you’d like (depending on the song). They are low commitment but incredibly enjoyable once you get started.
The video above really only gives a brief idea of what all you can learn but this is great way to have fun and stay active during the quarantine. Encourage your child learn dance choreography and perform for the rest of the family. Not only will this keep them occupied for days at a time but it will help keep their body moving and healthy!
Don’t be afraid to join them. At times like this, it is incredibly important to maintain our health. Dancing is known to not only improve physical health but also mental health. Perhaps you can make this a group performance activity.
4. Practice some yoga with them!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-WtTzKjZ3T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Let’s be honest, the kids could do with some quiet, soothing exercise. If you already do yoga at home, have them join the ride and follow along. Make it a challenge to hold particular poses for specific amount of time. If you plan doing this on a daily basis, you can help the kids transfer their frustrations into a little healthy competition to see who’s improving in their stability.
If you have younger children, it might help to use a medium that speaks to their tastes. Take this yoga instructor’s transformation of Moana into a series of storytelling yoga poses:
5. Play the PE Dice game
Write up a list of exercises with a number from 1-6 or 1-12 next to it. You can include the number of repetitions or time needed to be spent on the exercise as well. Then, give your children a couple of die and have them roll to do the exercises. Maybe include some type of reward when they get through all the exercises on the list!
Remember, this is a lot more effective if your kids see you following your own rules. It’s important for you to stay fit during this coronavirus quarantine too!
Keeping their minds sharp during the COVID-19 stay-at-home
However important it is to maintain their physical health, it is equally if not more important to keep their brains active. Instead of letting them fall into the clutches of binging Netflix, watching videos on Youtube, scrolling through their various socials or obsessively playing video games, help your child finish their incomplete curriculum and learn new things.
1. Take advantage of Talentnook’s new Curriculum Completion Program
Talentnook’s Curriculum Completion Program
With every school in the Bay Area closed due to the shelter-in-place order, schools are asking parents to help their child complete the remaining curriculum for that grade over this break. We understand that teaching your child concepts is time-consuming and becomes hectic when you are juggling work as well.
As a result, we’ve put together a little initiative to help students complete the remaining curriculum during this coronavirus quarantine. Just send us the lesson plan and will deal with the rest by taking online lessons through Zoom sessions.
Join this growing online learning community here!
2. Start learning a new skill online
Don’t let the pandemic stop your creative juices from flowing! This is the perfect time to pick up a new hobby or skill. Like learning to play a guitar, painting, sewing, playing piano and so much more!
Learn these 7 new skills during the Coronavirus Quarantine
You can also choose academic lessons like Reading Comprehension or SAT Prep. Don’t let all this free time pass them by. Help them stay productive and ready for the coming school year.
We hope this helps you keep your children active (and you sane!) during this trying time. Please stay inside as much as you can and practice healthy habits. Ensure you follow the shelter-in-place order as best as you can to protect the young ones at home and the other vulnerable populations in your neighborhood.
At times like this, we must really band together to do the best for ourselves. Right now, that means staying home, staying safe, and staying active in ways like the ones in the article.
Stay safe!