By Poppy Ellis Logan – @poppyellislogan
Associate Lecturer in Mental Health and My Care Academy Practice Lead

Staying fit and active with kids at home

We all know that exercise can be difficult for many people at the best of times. Right now, the UK is in lockdown and millions of us are trying to keep ourselves and our families fit, despite being stuck at home. Here at My Care Academy, we’ve put together our favourite digital resources to help you keep the whole family fit and active!

As you can see from our infographic, we’ve got seven different recommendations, so that you can pick and choose an activity for each day of the week. Before you get started, though, it’s important to make sure you’re all dressed appropriately and that you have plenty of water to stay hydrated. You don’t need any snazzy gear, just a comfy pair of trousers or shorts, and a tshirt, are all you need. What’s more important is what you don’t want to be wearing – we’d always recommend removing any jewellery and tying back long hair so that it doesn’t obscure our vision at any point.

For day 1, we have recommended some inclusive activities as described on this free PDF from AccessSport. These are perfect if you have any kids with special educational needs as the activities are suitable for everyone.

For day 2, we found a great physical activity bingo game designed by the Youth Sport Trust. You can find out all about it using the following link: https://bit.ly/2wRee0M. The idea of the bingo game is that you choose from a range of activities, and try to complete a full line of these before anyone else in your family. The first person to complete a full line of activities (and to shout “Bingo!”) is the winner.

On day 3, we’re suggesting you take a break from being in charge, and let Joe Wicks do the explaining for you. Head over to YouTube to enjoy his guided PE sessions, found at this link: https://bit.ly/2RNdv85

Today is day 4, and after yesterday’s PE class, we thought you might be keen for a few more school-style games from YouTube. With this in mind, we’re recommending the ‘Play Formats’ playlist, which has loads of great games designed for children. Check them out at https://bit.ly/34ORzi5.

By day 5, we reckon you’ll be pretty good at the exercise itself, so we’re recommending a session with Energetic Education, who produce fantastic videos to get kids exercising along to an adventure story! Scroll down to the bottom of this page to find their videos: https://bit.ly/2VHbLOT

For day 6, after 5 days of family exercises, you might need something to help you relax, so why not try out some yoga. Cosmic Kids Yoga are an awesome organisation who deliver fun and colourful yoga and mindfulness for kids. They turn exercise into an adventure and help kids unwind with their great relaxation sessions. Check out their channel here: https://bit.ly/2XRvoGK

It’s day 7, and if our plan has worked, you’ll be well into a routine of family fitness sessions each day. You might be worrying where you’ll find next week’s activities, but don’t worry – we have a solution! The iMoves website are currently offering free membership to all parents. Signing up is 100% free and will get you access to a daily email with activities and resources to keep children active. Check out their website here: https://bit.ly/2Kgc8ur

You did it!

We hope you enjoyed yourselves, and we’d love to hear how you got on with any of these activities! Get in touch with us on Twitter with your photos and stories of how things went – you’ll find us @mycareacademy.