According to the National Child Measurement Programme as part of NHS Digital, over 1 in 5 children overweight or obese when they start school and this statistic goes up to 1 in three by the time they go up to the high school. This is a shocking statistic and to help combat this, there are a number of school and government led exercise activities to help keep the kids moving rather than sitting at home on their phones or consoles. And with the summer holidays just around the corner, we wanted to put this blog post together to provide you with a vast list of engaging activities your little one can do this summer to keep them active.
Activities For Pre-School Children
For young children it may be hard to think of outdoor exercises which they will be able to keep up with or that will maintain their interest. Here are just a few ways in which you can adapt and create fun exercises which they will enjoy playing with you and their friends.
- Imaginative
- Creative
- Artistic
- Moderate Energy
- Story or Challenge Based
Children’s imaginations are much more vivid than ours as adults, so by setting the scene in a game you will be able to capture your child’s interest in the sport or game you are playing together. Some great games you could play with your child could be story or challenge based which will get their imagination flowing. Why not base a game on their favourite movie, tv show or character? This would be a fantastic way to start.
A great way to set the scene is to explain to them that they are or need to save their idol by completing a number of obstacles quickly. One example of an interactive game like this which you might have played when you are younger is called ‘the floor is lava’ which sees children jump from obstacle to obstacle to avoid touching the floor. Another adaptation of this is to throw a balloon or ball between one another without it touching the floor.
You can also unlock your child’s creativity by purchasing some floor chalk from a local craft store and getting them to create their own hop scotch to use. And once you are all finished and head indoors, you can simply wash the design away. This is excellent for boosting your child’s creativity and imagination as each design will be different to the other.
Sports for Primary School Kids
Once your child reaches school age you will find that they start to play games during their break times which would be a great way for you to get them active in the summer. By learning the ropes of the most common playground games you can join in with your kids this summer.
- Sports based
- Higher energy
- Competitive
- Group or Team qualities
- Educational
Playground games are a superb way to make friends and enjoy the competitive atmosphere as well as team work aspects. These are vital traits which will benefit your child as they get older as well as the additional aspects of education worked into the games. You can also create a new game with your child which they would be eager to share with their friends once school is back in session.
Some ideas of playground games are:
- What is the time Mr Wolf? - One child is chosen to be the ‘wolf’ who has the back to the rest of the players. Each child then needs to gradually move closer to the ‘wolf’ without getting caught moving when the ‘wolf’ turns around.
- Duck Duck Goose – A group of children sit in a circle with one walking around patting heads naming each player ‘duck’ but when they say ‘goose’ the player who they had just patted on the head needs to chase them around the circle and return to their spot before them.
- Hide and Seek – One player or a group of seekers will close their eyes and let the group of hiders run off and hide. Then the seekers would then have to run around the playground to find the seekers. And adaptation of this could be that the there is a ‘base’ which the hiders have to get to but need to avoid being caught on the way.
- Tig – One player is ‘it’ and they need to catch another player in order to pass it on. An adaptation of this is called Stuck in the mud where there are two teams and once you have been tagged you need to stand there with your arms out and await another player to set you free by going under your arm.
Exercises for Early Teens
The older your child gets the more exposed they will be to sports. Therefore, a great way to get them outside is to find out which activity in P.E they are enjoying the most and encourage them to play it with you and the family at home. Some of these sports covered are:
- Track
- Tennis
- Badminton
- Rounders
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Football
- Netball
- Hockey
- Rugby
- Hurdles
- Sprints
- Javelin
Get Your Child Moving This Summer!
Throughout this article we have discussed a wide range of fitness related activities which your child will love taking part in this summer. If any of these ideas have helped your little one ditch the technology for the great outdoors, then let us know! You can also shop a range of children’s sportswear over at Sports Fitness to kit your child out with ready for their summer of adventure.
This article was written exclusively for Sports Fitness by Loren Astbury
