7 Ways to Keep your Kids Active + Engaged at Home

Now that hundreds of thousands of Canadian children are out of school for the near future and the list of closed facilities continues to grow, many parents are concerned about keeping their children’s days filled with fun, education and structure at home. We’ve put together this list of seven ideas of ways to keep your kids active, or to ensure your kids remain active and engaged during this period of uncertainty.

1. Teach them valuable Life Skills

When researching ways to keep your kids active, one subject that we have seen heavily dropped out of the public education system is home economics, but this new-found time at home will give you the unique opportunity to incorporate these important lessons into your every day. Take this time at home to teach your children valuable life skills that they would not have otherwise obtained at school. Talk to your child about the value of the dollar and how it impacts things like gas prices. Teach them how you budget for groceries and other necessities, and why a budget is important during uncertain times like these. Show them how to take basic ingredients from the pantry and create a meal, guide them through household chores (i.e. laundry, dishes), and talk to them about the importance of being resilient and adaptable. 

2. Get them Moving!

Today’s children won’t live as long as their parents due to an alarming decrease in physical activity and the many diseases and health issues caused by inactivity. Our adults and seniors are facing chronic health conditions that lead to medical interventions and worsen due to lack of exercise and recreational activities. While your children remain out-of-school, keeping them active is a great way for them to Move For Life, engage in physical activity, have fun, and relieve the stress of these uncertain times. 

Practicing social-distancing doesn’t mean that we can’t be active. Take your children for a bike ride or walk through a local trail or park.  Allow your child to play a game in the backyard. Use sports equipment (i.e. ball) to engage your child in important basic movements like running, jumping, kicking and throwing. Being outside, when safe to do so, will allow children to benefit from not only physical activity, but also fresh air, sunshine, and a change of scenery. Your child should engage in at least 1 hour of physical activity per day.

3. Let them use their Imaginations

Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” We agree! Imagination truly is the door to all possibilities. It is where creativity, ingenuity and thinking outside of the box begins for a child. When a child engages in imaginative and creative play, they learn about the greater world around them. They might also find valuable lessons in compassion and empathy. The best opportunities for learning are when children participate in creative play with dolls, vehicles, building blocks, molding clay and natural materials. During imaginative play, children can manipulate different materials, express themselves, plan, act, interact, react and try different roles. Furthermore, being creative allows them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Best of all? It’s FUN to use your imagination and be creative. 

4. Partake in an Online Curriculum

Scholastic’s free Learn At Home program includes 20 days worth of curricula to help students continue learning even when school is closed. Daily lessons are offered for pre-K through 6th-grade, and include four separate learning experiences that are built around a story or video. Kids can complete them on their own, with their families or with their teachers. The lessons last up to three hours, and can be completed on any device.

5. Take a Virtual Tour

Many museums and cultural institutions around the world are inspiring people to stay curious and occupied by offering free virtual tours, exhibits, videos and performances for people to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. 

From dinosaurs to ocean creatures, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History offers in-depth 360-degree views of its exhibits. In addition, the San Diego Zoo has pre-recorded and live video streams showing koalas, pandas, apes, penguins and other creatives that offer endless hours of entertainment and fascination. 

6. Read a Book

Renowned and best-selling author, Neil Gaiman, once used a fascinating metaphor: “[Reading] books is the way we communicate with the dead. The way that we learn lessons from those who are no longer with us that humanity has built on itself, progressed, made knowledge incremental rather than something that has to be re-learned over and over. There are tales that are older than most countries, tales that have long outlasted the cultures, and the buildings in which they were first told.” 

Aside from being a tool to transport to different places and times, reading books will help your child to improve spelling, memory, and empathy and language skills. What’s more? It’s a great source of entertainment!

7. Be bored!

Researchers all agree that the number one benefit of children experiencing periods of boredom is that is develops their innate ability to be creative. There is a strong connection between boredom and imagination. Dr. Teresa Belton says “cultural expectations that children should be constantly active could hamper the development of their imagination.” Allow your child time to stand-and-stare, thinking through their own processing, assimilating their experiences or just observing the ever-changing world around them. For the sake of creativity and development, allow your children the chance to slow down, stay offline and decompress for a little while. 

Do you have another great idea of ways to keep your kids active? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a message to info@pahfoundation.ca

---

Looking to make a direct impact? You can make a donation towards our AREA OF GREATEST NEED to assist Peace Arch Hospital during this time. If you have any questions or would like to speak to a member of our team, please send an email to info@pahfoundation.ca