KEEPING KIDS ACTIVE DURING WINTER
Keeping active is important for kids( and adults alike) but winter weather can often mean we are stuck indoors a lot more than we want to be and as a result we become a lot less active.
Being active doesn’ t have to be restricted to warm weather though; there are plenty of simple ideas that can get your kids up and off the couch and moving around even on the dreariest of winter days.
Indoor activities
• Have a dance party Kids love to dance, so crank up the music, pull the curtains, put in a coloured lightbulb and have a dance party at home!
• Create an obstacle course Turn your hallway / lounge into an obstacle course- you’ d be amazed at what you can create with things lying around the house. Try crawling under a row of chairs, make a line of hula hoops and jump from hoop to hoop, walk the tightrope of a skipping rope, use placemats as stepping stones, throw a soft ball into the laundry basket, belly flops onto a pile of pillows, or army crawl over a woolly blanket.
• Make a fort It’ s an oldie but a goodie. Pull out the blankets, duvets, pillows, chairs and let the kids build away.
• Play Simon Says Make it as active as possible – jumping, running on the spot, dancing, stretching and spinning.
• Hopscotch Use chalk or masking tape to mark out a hopscotch game in the hallway or in the garage and let the kids jump away!
• Scavenger Hunt Send the kids off on a hunt around the house for a list of things to find – for example try finding a red sock, a newspaper, a candle, something beginning with“ D”, something soft / hard, the options are endless and will keep the kids busy for ages!
• Balloons They say it’ s the simplest things that are the best, and balloons fall into this category. Try filling a room with balloons and watch the kids go wild, tie a piece of string between two chairs and play balloon volleyball, make bats out of paper plates and iceblock sticks and you have a game of balloon tennis!
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Heading out of the house
• Rug up and head outdoors! Let the kids jump in puddles, make mud pies, head to the local park, the outdoors don’ t have to confined to the summer months, just make sure you rug up warm!
• Indoor activities Find some activities that you can do indoors; why not head to the local pools where the water is heated, try an indoor playground where the kids can run as wild as the weather outside, or find a class to join – like our own Mini Rockers, dance classes, sports, or gym classes.
“ Rug up and head outdoors!”