This isolation is hard—it was tough from the beginning, and the longer it goes, the more we question how long we can hold out at home. We keep telling ourselves the reasons and how important it is for us to stay home so our loved ones and those immunocompromised stay healthy. Still, though we understand why it’s happening, our kids may not. Chances are, they’re going even more stir-crazy than we are, which is why it’s essential to keep the kids moving throughout all this madness. Here are some excellent ways to keep kids active during self-isolation, which will get them outside (to the backyard, at least!) and burning off some of that bubbling energy. Try them out!
Try Out Some P.E. Games
Kids are missing out on quite a bit of physical education, and if you’re homeschooling, you might be short on ideas for the kiddos. Take some awesome outdoor gym ideas for P.E. teachers, and see how you can refine them for your home and your yard. Maybe you can play kickball in the backyard or set up a fitness circuit using your driveway and the basketball hoop. Or you could ask the kids to teach you what they were learning in P.E.!
Head Out on Daily Walks
It’s important to stay at home, but if you do need to get out of your house—and you will—take the kids with you on walks. Don’t go to the park that everybody else is going to because that’s not exactly social distancing, but go on a walk around the block or head to the closest nature park and hit the trails. Getting in little spurts of outdoor air will make the time inside not seem so rough—for the kids and you!
Turn them into a superhero for the day!
Turn on Some Music and Have a Dance Party
Dancing is a fantastic way to get the overloaded energy out of the kids. Turn on some of their favorite tunes, move the furniture, and make space for lots of dancing. You can try out easy online dance classes for kids, but if that’s not working, just get their feet moving and their body’s twisting. Dance is sure to raise their endorphins, so if you notice anybody in a particularly gloomy state, this is the medicine!
Put Video Games to The Test
Do you have video games that the kids are obsessed with? Pop in a game that will get them moving! There’s Wii Fit, Just Dance, Wii Sports, Shape Up, and more! Or tell them that they need to do 15 minutes of exercise every 30 minutes they play video games. The more you implement movement into little parts of the day, the more active they’ll stay.
Practice Skills
If your kid is in any sport or wants to be, this is the perfect time to start practicing some skills and techniques. Take your little soccer player to the backyard for some dribbling and passing drills. Or maybe you can use the front yard as a little gymnastics mat. Use the time to work on some of those skills that the kids aren’t quite sure about, and watch them grow during this time!
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