Tips & Tricks to Keep Your Child Physically Active This 2020!

Kids in COVID-19 era are locked at one place and have their schedule packed with online classes, which makes them glued to the screens with hardly any physical activity. Also, they don’t get a chance to run around in the house due to restricted space. So, in such a scenario, it becomes very important to keep them active within the limited space available.

The dilemma faced here is – how do we keep them physically active? The best way out is to incorporate physical activity into their daily routine. Majority of a child’s day is spent at home, which could be effectively utilized to create some momentum in their activity level. You can channelize the energy of your kids by involving them in fun activities at home itself.

If we want to integrate movement and exercise as a part of our child’s daily life, there are plenty of easy options that can be done right in your living room or as a part of your routine life.
Fitterfly highlights some classic tricks on how to be physically active by doing activities along with your child in tow 😉

• Walk it up: You can begin with an active start of the day with a simple morning walk taking all hygiene precautions amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Keep moving around in the house while talking on the phone with family and friends. Ideally, you should target 10,000 steps in a day and with the help of Fitterfly Metabolic Health App on your smartphone, you can count them too!
• Climbing stairs: As often as possible, taking the stairs along with your little one can help you shed a few inches and keep your child physically active too!
• Shake your body: Dancing is ‘THE’ fantastic exercise which involves fun and keeps body active. Let your child dance to their favourite tune! Listen to music and dance together.
• Help with household chores: Housework could be fun for your toddler. Wanna know how…

Give them simple tasks like asking them to pass on clothes while you hang them up on drying stand, keeping back used dishes in the kitchen sink or cleaning table before setting lunch/dinner. Even helping in the arrangement of food plates eases out a parent’s work and creates some physical movement for the child. Praising the child for the work done makes an extra interest and encourages the child to repeat the activity whenever asked.

• Sneak workouts into other activities: You can involve your child in gardening if you have a big lawn.
• Turn TV commercials into fitness breaks:  It is advisable to limit TV time to make sure our kids don’t turn into couch potatoes. However, at times when allowed to watch, advertisement slots could be utilized to do some jumps, squats, stomping or skipping moves in one place, keeping a count of them.
• Parking cars a little far from the actual destination: While travelling, try and park cars at a walkable distance and ensure you walk it up along with your child giving them a chance to be physically active. 
• Use exercise as a filler: Your child is bored of doing homework – give them a break by allowing them to play their favourite game which involves movement. Isn’t that a wonderful way to get what you want your child to do?
• Indoor games:  Always encourage children to play games that involve movement. Games like Hide and seek, follow the leader, throwing softballs are the favourite ones to play. You can select age-appropriate activities for your munchkin. An assortment of balls, hula-hoops and jump ropes also keep kids busy.

Toddlers could be kept engrossed in an obstacle course game- using pillows, small chairs or buckets as an obstacle and racing along with your child. Blowing up balloons and throwing them or trying to keep them off the ground is another such game which your little ones will surely enjoy. Pillow fights are also fun. Keep the focus on fun and exerting physically won’t be a task. 

It is important to note that children lead by example; hence it should be a foremost priority for you as a parent to be physically active for them to follow the same.