Physical Health and WellbeIng
Physical Excercise – Why is it important for Early Years?
Some ideas for physical activity at home
Jumpstart Jonny is posting daily exercise videos at 9am each day on his YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8PDFwCV0HHcl08-1SzdiBw
These exercises may be more appropriate for younger children than Joe Wicks who is also offering daily PE sessions at 9am on his YouTube channel.
Jonny has been providing high-energy routines and child-friendly banter long before Joe started training the nation. With zany catchphrases like ‘Whoopa” – he has been doing online workouts for younger children for more than six years now.
Go Noodle is a fantastic free resource full of movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. It inspires all kids to be active and mindful with a wide range of offerings that appeal to kids’ different ages, interests, skills, and abilities.
Cosmic Kids Yoga is another free resource with kids themed yoga and mindfulness videos.
If you don’t have internet access to watch the above sessions or want to try something away from the screen, then below are some further ideas you can do indoors at home:
- Tape Games
A simple roll of low-tack Painter’s tape (like this one for delicate surfaces) will be your new best friend.
Tape Shape Game: Use this tape to put a variety of shapes, letters and/or numbers on your floor.
Have your child stand on their favourite one then give them instructions to follow that will lead them to their next destination (for example: “bear crawl to the square”, “hop like a Frog to the T”, “Run to the rectangle”). This will keep your child moving, but also helps them learn their shapes, letters and numbers!
Tape Lines: Make 5–10 separate lines of tape, each about a foot apart, on your floor or carpet. Label the first one the “start” line and then give your kids simple instructions:
- Long Jump: See how many lines they can jump over. Have them try and beat their best score each time. Experiment with arm swinging vs. arms behind their backs.
- Run ‘n’ Jump: Now let them take a running start and see if they can jump even further!
- Long Jump Backwards: Increase the difficulty by performing the tasks jumping backwards.
- Hop: How far can they jump on one leg?
- Reach ‘n’ Stretch: How far can their leg reach with one foot on the “start” line?
Hopscotch: Make a simple hopscotch “board” and your kids will think it’s just the coolest thing that it’s inside!
Number Squares: Make a large square with your tape and then divide it into 9 or more small squares, marking random numbers in each one. Now ask your child to perform a specific movement to get to the next number like “jump to 10”, “zoom to 3”, “slither to 67”.
2. Balloon Games
Has your child ever received a balloon at a birthday party and been totally enamoured by it?
Just a reminder that pieces of burst balloons can be a serious choking hazard, so make sure they are supervised during these activities at all times
Don’t Let The Balloon Touch The Ground: This is the classic game that kids fall for every time.
Penguin Waddle: Place a balloon between your child’s knees and have them waddle across the room without dropping it
Balloon Blow: Set up a “course” and see if your child can blow a balloon all the way to the finish line.
3. Other Indoor Ideas for Movement
Pillow Case Race: On hardwood or tile floors, sit on a pillowcase (or a t‑shirt) and use your arms and legs to scoot around a “race” course.
Airplane Landing: Make paper airplanes and throw them. The catch? You have to collect it and bring it back to the start line without walking – this could be running, hopping, skipping, twirling, crawling…let them get creative!
Crab Walk: Teach your child how to do the crab walk, then see how fast they can scurry across the room. Have races with siblings (or yourself!) and then increase the level of difficulty by having them balance a stuffed animal on their stomach. If it falls, they have to scramble back to the beginning and start again!
