Let’s do recess!
As the weeks of staying at home continue during COVID-19, caring for our mental and physical health can be a challenge. Having a daily routine can really help, so let’s add in RECESS!
Staying active and getting exercise is very helpful. Depending on your schedule and the ages of your kids, spend 15 to 60 minutes once or 2 to 3 times a day in recess. This provides needed breaks for everyone.
These are activities that you can do as a family, with parents, with siblings, or even on your own.
- Try dancing to your favorite songs.
- Go for a walk or a bike ride (remember your helmet).
- Play:
- Hopscotch
- Red Light Green Light
- Mother May I
- Tag
- Shuttle runs
- Multiple player jump rope
- 4 square
- Dodge ball
- Skipping
- Treasure hunts (giving clues to find a hidden treasure)
- Scavenger hunt (list of specific items that need to be found or gathered)
- Throw and catch a ball
Movement ideas (adjust according to age and ability):
Hopping, jumping or marching, squats, walking lunges, burpees, squat jumps, sit ups, push ups (can even do these against a counter top or table), dancing, planks, flutter kicks, broad jumps, jump rope, and step ups (you can use the stairs in your house or a stable chair).
Family activities:
- Make a deck of cards with movements on them and a number goal (have the kids involved with creating this). For example: If a player draws a card with a 5 and sit ups, they would do 5 sit ups. Again, you can adjust the activities according to age and abilities.
- Roll dice and then do that many of a movement that you have pre-determined.
- Bingo: Create a bingo game to play each week. Each block has an activity. Once that activity has been done, that block gets crossed off. For every line completed, the player gets to put their name in for a drawing at the end of the week. If your name is drawn, perhaps your prize is to pick the family movie that week (ideas for the activities can be fairly easy such as brushing your teeth, doing your chores and going to bed on time. Then a few squares should be more challenging such as exercise, less or no screen time, doing extra chores, taking a walk)
Great resources: