Keeping Children Active at Home

With children at home its important to try and keep them active everyday. Guidance from the Chief Medical Officer suggests children should be active for an average of 60 minutes at day, across the week. The activities should make children breathe faster and feel warmer.

There are lots of activities online that can help you do this in a fun way. A few of our  recommendations are below, but simple activities in the garden, if you have one, like skipping, ball games and tag, are also great. If everyone in your household is feeling well, you can also go out for a daily walk, cycle or run.

Lincolnshire Virtual School Games

The Lincolnshire School Sports Partnerships and Active Lincolnshire have teamed up to make sure that the children and young people of Lincolnshire can still enjoy the spirit of the School Games from the safety of their homes. A different virtual competition will be launched each week from Monday 20 April. On alternative weeks, primary and secondary school students can submit videos of themselves completing the challenges, which will focus on personal improvement and achievement. Find out More here.

Links to online resources

• Joe Wicks is live-streaming workouts for kids on his Youtube channel The Body Coach TV. Also see his Kids Workouts to do at Home playlist
• Cosmic Kids Yoga
• This Girl Can Disney dance-along
• Change4Life indoor activity ideas
• Change4Life accessible activities for children and young people with disabilities
• Change For Life – Wake Up Shake Ups  Fun family activities to do together
• BBC Supermovers Fun Curriculum linked learning resources
• Imoves is free for parents to use at the current time, just sign up to access a number or resources that can support home schooling
• Get Set for PE are sharing fun daily activities to help your child get active, follow them on twitter and facebook
• Fitter Future have opened up their programme to every family in the country, for free. Sign up for resources to improve both physical and mental wellbeing.
• Go Noodle Movement and Mindfulness videos for use with children
• Get Set Tokyo  Activities linked to the Olympic / Paralympics
• Nike Active Kids Do Better Resources for parents to get their kids more active
• Jumpstart Johnny Fun workout videos to get kids moving
• #ThisisPE  -Physical education specialists from across the country have come together to provide parents with two-minute videos to help you educate and entertain at home. Forget expensive sports equipment, these activities can be done with things like teddy bears, rolled up socks, and toilet roll!
• Boing – Top 20 Playgames to play at home

Sport Specific at Home Resources

The National Governing Bodies for many sports, and other sports organisations have come up with programmes to help children get the skills they need for specific sports in a home environment. Ideal if your child is missing their usual sport or for getting them interested and prepared to take up a new activity in the future.

Athletics
England Athletics have launched an Athletics based Home Pack to help keep children active and support learning in a home environment.

Tennis
LTA Tennis at Home  is full of fun activities to enjoy as a family.

Netball
England Netball’s Bee at Home Challenges encourage Under 11’s and their families to stay active at home. See the Facebook playlist here

Cycling
The Let’s Ride Local website from British cycling in partnership with HSBC is full of advice on riding as a family, including finding routes in your local area and teaching your kids how to get started riding a bicycle.

Cricket
Chance to Shine have a range of at home cricket activities that need very little equipment. Visit the page

Football
Premier League Primary Stars  Fun Curriculum linked resources

Table Tennis
Table Tennis’s England TT Kidz has launched 9 videos featuring activities that can be done at home with or without a table tennis table. Find them here.

Swimming
Swim England have produced a range of activity sheets for home schooling covering topics such as water safety. Find them here.

Children’s Mental Health

If your child/children are feeling anxious or worried about the current situation, you might like to download the guide to coronavirus for children produced by the Children’s Commissioner. Find the guide here

The NSPCC have useful advice and support for parents and carers around coronavirus