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Chilly weather and dark nights naturally make us want to hibernate until spring, but even though vegging out with a family movie is lovely and cosy, it’s not always the best way to stay healthy throughout winter. It’s important to keep moving too!
According to NHS Change4Life, our kids need to be active for at least 60 minutes per day. Keeping the kids fit and healthy can help improve many aspects of a child’s health – it helps maintain a healthy weight, improves fitness, strengthens muscles and bones, and develops coordination.
We all want our children to be as happy and healthy as possible, so what is the best way to help them have fun whilst staying active? Through play of course!
Recent research from Play England shows that active play has “many benefits for children, families and the wider community, as well as improving health and quality of life.” And children’s access to play can help “improve and maintain their physical and mental health”.
It’s not always easy to be active and healthy when the winter closes in, so we have put together 6 fun suggestions to help you keep your kids fit and healthy through play this winter.
Build a Den
Who doesn’t love grabbing the cushions and blankets off the sofa and building a cosy indoor Den? Building a Den or a Fort is a great way of encouraging team work, problem solving and putting ideas into practice. It’s also loads of fun and gets everyone crawling around on the floor until they are nice and sweaty.
Hide and Seek
This classic game is always a good way to get everyone up off the sofa. When the winter nights draw in, add an extra challenge by playing by lamplight or with torches.
Puddle Jumping
Rain is an inevitable part of winter, but it doesn’t mean that the fun has to stop. Pull on your wellies and waterproofs and get outside for some puddle jumping. The fresh air will help shake off the winter blues and being outdoors also helps to everyone soak up some Vitamin D. Whilst you are outside why not collect some leaves and sticks? Then take to Pinterest for some nature themed arts and crafts ideas for later.
Treasure Hunt
This one requires a bit more effort from you, but a treasure hunt is a great way to encourage everyone to move around and get thinking too! You could hold an indoor or outdoor hunt to play short challenges and win small prizes – the internet is a great place to find ideas for clues and themes.
Change4Life 10-minute Shake ups
Disney fans will love these 10-minute exercise challenges that are designed to make indoor play more active. Each game is inspired by a different Disney character and includes singing, dance routines and a few simple props – they are an ideal way to help everyone unleash their inner Disney selves! Find the challenges here.
Tumble Tots
Tumble Tots is a nationwide physical play programme for children which aims to instil a healthy and active lifestyle, and the confidence to help them reach their maximum potential.
Tumble Tots is a designed to develop children’s physical skills of agility, balance, co-ordination and climbing, through the use of brightly coloured Tumble Tots equipment. Classes are run across the country for children aged from 6 months to school age.
Find out more, and search for a local class here.
Kinetik Wellbeing is committed to helping families measure, monitor and manage their health at home. Our range of inner-ear and non-contact thermometers is designed to make it easier for parents to keep a close eye on their children’s temperature, so they are able to act at the first sign of illness.
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