Kids often have so much energy, so much that parents wonder where they get the energy from. If you’re not sure what to do when it’s time for your kids to calm down, such as at nighttime or special events, we’ve explored safe ways on how you can bring those little powerhouses to a safe, happy, calm state of mind, and not bouncing around the house like an episode of Loony Tunes.
Pandemic or not, it is known that toddlers benefit from active play throughout the day, and children ages 6-17 should get around 60 minutes of activity daily, according to the CDC. Regular activity, like running around or jumping rope, helps to boost health and lifts one’s mood. Everyone stands to benefit.
You can play many games or sports to practice and become more active, or you can use fidget toys to your advantage, especially if you need to be more discreet with tuckering them out.
Better than the best.
Record how long a kid can hop or balance on one foot and how many push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, or other activities they can complete in a row. Practice three times each week and track your progress once a week. Teens and older children may enjoy establishing objectives and tracking their progress in virtual races. The Healthy Kids Virtual Running Series includes a state-by-state finder to help children in pre-K through grade 8 discover local races. Many organizations invite individuals of all ages to participate in virtual events by walking, jogging, bicycling, or even dancing to generate funds.
Snap, Crackle, and Pop! Playtime
Take a box and add one of each of BunMo’s Silly Slappers, original Pop! Tubes and Silly Suckers to it. Create three boxes with a mix of the rest of the toys in them and hide them somewhere on your lawn or place of play. Then, for each toy, assign an action to it. For example, Silly Slappers can be combined with jumping jacks or bear crawls, Pop! Tubes, burpees, somersaults (if space allows), and Silly Suckers with mountain climbers or cat-cow. Of course, it does not need to be these exact movements. Once decided on the activities, go through the box with a blindfold. Let your child choose one of the three toys, which will start an adventure to find the others of its kind. At each box, the children count the numbers of their specific toy and do the movements agreed upon before continuing.
Consider assigning several seconds based on the toy chosen for an activity that does not need distinct repeating motions, such as the bear crawl (a Silly Slapper equals five seconds of bear crawl). Children may shuffle and assign workout options, including selecting easier or more complex activities according to age or aptitude.
Let’s Dance!
Encourage younger children to imitate animal and other creature movements such as waddling like a duck, small hops like a bunny, giant hops like a kangaroo, slithering like a snake, jumping high like a frog, crawl-walking like a bear, inching forward like a turtle, waggle-dancing like a honeybee, flapping arms like a bird, crawling sideways like a crab, and so on. Set up inside races for the quieter species (crab, duck, snake) and outdoor races for the noisier critters to see who can cross the finish line in the shortest and most prolonged time. Extra points for odd selections.
An Hour A Day…
Energy burns of five or ten minutes at the top of each hour may help preserve the peace. Set a timer and pick simple activities such as dancing to their favorite songs, jogging in place, jumping jacks, skipping rope, and doing sit-ups and squats. Children might compete with one other or with friends - is it growing easier to complete particular activities from one week to the next? Can you accomplish more than you used to?
Yoga or Fitness online classes.
You can always take a look at Cosmic Kids, which mixes yoga and storytelling into a peaceful, delightful exercise for many children, and Go Noodle, which offers high-energy video or smartphone activities to get kids moving and ridiculous costumes to entertain them. These are two fun activity ideas to look at if you are trying to tucker your young one out. You can also locate free online choices or sample courses in local gyms, recreation centers, or YMCAs. Check workout videos geared for children to see whether they suit your child.
Consider your neighbors while deciding how to assist youngsters in expending energy. Quieter workouts are preferable if you live above someone, and incorporating safe outside time benefits everyone, including parents. A game of tag or soccer, a bike ride, or just running, skipping, or kangaroo-hopping to the end of each block might be enjoyable if there is enough space to move freely while keeping safe distances.