Play and exercise ideas for families with children

Play ideas for families with children

No walking to school, playground activities and PE lessons means children are missing out on exercise, which negatively impacts both their willingness to learn and their tempers. When we have to home-school, exercise more important than ever for our children, as it boosts blood circulation in the brain and supports concentrated, motivated learning. Purzelbaum Schweiz has put together some games and exercises that can be done with few props in the living room, the child’s bedroom, on the balcony or in the garden. They are suitable for exercise breaks during home-schooling or could even be directly linked to the subject matter (movement in learning).

Eight to ten play and exercise ideas are put forward every week, categorised as either physical health or mental health. Take a look, and get moving!

Here are a few ideas:

French skipping figures
Who does not remember the famous 10-step pattern in French skipping? Amazing for keeping children occupied for a long time.

Animal pantomimes
Children love acting out words and phrases using gestures and facial expressions. Think up a few more words and phrases yourself and write them on a blank piece of paper. If you would like to guess words and phrases with children online, then the free app “Scharade” is very good for this.

10-step
A super-intense jumping game for young and old that does not require lots of space, but boosts children’s moods and bone strength. It is also suitable for promoting movement in learning (e.g., learning the order of numbers).

Table cycling
This exercise, which can easily be done on a tabletop, strengthens the arm and core muscles. The children will remain focused and always in balance. An exercise for the whole family.

Games from around the world
Cat’s cradles, for example, are played all around the globe. They require manual dexterity and concentration. Give yourself a moment of peace! At the same time, you, as mum, dad or the childminder, can take advantage of the situation and discuss the land and culture of the current game with the children. Maybe you will find some suitable stories online?

Yoga for children
The exercises improve physical awareness and sensory perception, strengthen the muscles, boost flexibility and promote mindfulness and concentration. Create an exercise routine with the children that you repeat regularly. While you exercise, the children should not talk, but concentrate on doing the exercises correctly. Something different for the whole family.

School moves
This is an exercise promotion programme run by the Federal Office of Sport (BASPO) for schools and daily schedules. At Schule bewegt, you will find a great many ideas for endurance training, bone strengthening, muscle building, flexibility and many other things. Most of these exercises are easy to do at home. Take a look and try out the different exercises with the whole family.

Famigros provides other tips and ideas for your free time during the corona pandemic. You will definitely find something suitable among the many different tips for things to do at home, from crafting, through board games to home power workouts, all of which will bring more movement, variety and joy into your family’s daily life.