Ditching the tablet in favor of fresh air and some fun can seem like a big ask – but active children, even with a tablet, still want to do more active things. Children like to be busy exploring, learning, and pushing the boundaries.
Active children are also more likely to find the activities they enjoy and have a healthy helping of confidence.
So how can you choose activities that keep your little ones active and burn off that boundless energy?
Game Box
Most houses have toy boxes that hold on to all the different toys you can imagine, from soft, plump snuggly teddies to building blocks and books. A game box can be dedicated to specific activities. You will probably need to restock it regularly, but that is part of the fun. Activity packs with pre-set guides and activities in the box can be a brilliant stop-gap when you are fresh out of ideas. Game boxes with beginner board games, letter games, some easy mess-free crafts are great.
The game box can become part of your weekly routine with your child for an hour or two on a Sunday afternoon.
Biking
Biking skills are something most children learn, but they typically take the bike to play with friends. Make like the Danish and Dutch and take a bike ride as a family. If your little one is a little bit too young for riding a bike themselves, invest in a carriage or a bike seat for them to sit in. Biking is a great activity—ideal for a healthy lifestyle, reducing car emissions, and a life skill. One of the main concerns with biking is the road traffic, and while there are times in the day that there are fewer cars, they can’t always be avoided.
Ensure that you have the proper protection for biking like a helmet and the number for a personal injury law firm – just in case!
A Single Task
Keeping your home running shipshape isn’t always easy, and things like cleaning, clothes washing, and making dinner shouldn’t always be seen as chores for parents. Since everyone lives in the home, taking care of these things is part of keeping your house enjoyable for all. Early on, children will learn to tidy up after themselves at nursery and school, the home should have the same respect. Beyond tidying their bedrooms, give your child a simple task that they can take care of daily or weekly. It might be weeding the garden, feeding the bunnies (if you have some), or more complicated like folding their clothes or pairing socks.
This keeps them busy for a short period and instills a sense of responsibility for their surroundings and home.
Geocaching
Geocaching is like a worldwide treasure hunt! What could be more fun than joining a global group of people who seek, find and place little treasures to be found? Geocaching does require you to download an app and use it to make your way to the locations, though. One of the most fun things with geocaching is that you also need to prepare little treasure to leave behind. When you find a geocaching stash, you are usually allowed to take an item – so long as you replace it with something else. You will also find a piece of paper to write down when the cache was found and who by.
You can set your difficulty to the lowest when you get started, which is excellent for children.
The Word Game
A fun, slightly competitive game that will have everyone searching the depth of their vocabulary! Simply choose a letter in the alphabet and take it in turns to say a word that begins with that letter. You might be surprised just how many words come up. This is an easy game, but it can span days with older children.
Daily Dance
Almost everyone could do a little more movement and fun in their day. Even if you have had a long day turn up your favorite songs that you can’t help dancing to and dance it out.
It is a great stress-relieving activity, and you can make it more interesting by seeing who can do the silliest dance.
Active children are busy and bright, and finding fun ways to keep them entertained can be a lot of fun for adults too.
Read more: Top tips for getting your kids excited about exercise.
Create a mix of activities they can do themselves or with you. Making new memories of dancing around the kitchen or uncovering a secret cache in the woods.
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