Mum, Im bored!

Sport Manawatu’s active movement coordinator provides some tips on getting your little ones active in the sun.

What do bubbles, building forts, and walking the dog have in common? They are all fun ways to be physically active as a family! Being physically active and exercising does not always cost money. All it takes is a little imagination and creativity.

For littlies, running is how many things are achieved. So make the most of the golden weather and don a hat, sunscreen and then get ready, set, go. Games and activities are more than just fun for a preschooler - they also help with physical development and learning.

Enjoyment of active play varies from child to child and getting them to participate is not always easy. Make sure you provide them with a positive, safe environment and give them plenty of encouragement and support. Simple, fun activities like playing with other children and using slow moving toys may help attract a child’s interest. Repetition and game like challenges can also make a difference, especially if they don’t involve too much competition. Skills take time to develop and children may need to try a number of play activities until they find one they like.

The key to physical activity in early childhood is enjoyment. For adults, success might be defined in terms of an extra lap run around the track, an extra five kilos lifted, or getting through an extra 15 minutes of aerobics. For a preschooler, success in any activity is simply a matter of how much fun it is!

Physical activity benefits more than your child’s physical health, it also enhances learning. Current research confirms that the physical activity of young children is an important component of early brain development and learning. Active play is also great for developing gross motor skills such as walking, running, jumping and hopping. Children learn gross motor skills by practicing until a particular skill is mastered. Although it may seem motor skills miraculously appear and develop on their own, the fact is, children who are not provided with movement and practice opportunities will lack in this area.

The best approach is a little and often, allowing children the opportunity to explore a variety of movement experiences in their daily life and in doing so giving them important learning time to master their movement skills.

There are many fun low-cost and low cost activities that your family can try.
Ø take a walk or hike together, or walk the dog
Ø have a family track meet: skip, hop, run, race and sprint
Ø do scavenger hunts in which family members compete against one another on teams
Ø take a family swimming trip to a nearby lake or river
Ø play “Simon Says” or “What’s the time Mr Wolf”
Ø make homemade bubbles: chase, jump and pop them. (Make bubble wands out of straws or thin wire.)

Try making your own toys or games instead of buying them:
• make a hopscotch grid on the sidewalk with chalk
• play kickball with a large, soft ball
• try playing hackey-sack as a family: don’t let the pellet filled sack hit the ground
• jump rope (use a store-bought jump rope, or make your own)
• play scoop ball: use homemade scoops made from empty milk jugs cut in half to toss a small soft rubber ball back and forth
• play family games such as football, softball or volleyball.
• go roller skating or cycling around the neighbourhood.

Remember though to, MAKE IT FUN!!!! If getting moving is seen as a fun from the start, then it can only assist children to enjoy physical activity for life. So kick back over the holiday period and have some serious fun on the way with your children these holidays. For more physical activity ideas ring 0800 ACTIVE or visit www.sportmanawatu.org.nz