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Parents are having to be extraordinarily strong and resourceful in order to keep their families safe. Supporting your child to be active helps to burn off energy, regulate stress and develop fundamental movement skills. Jumping Beans founding director Sophie Foster offers five, evidence-backed games that your children might enjoy at home.
Giraffe or Mouse
Ask your child or children if they can make a giraffe shape with their body, or stretch up high.
Then ask them to make the shape of a tiny mouse, or curl up small. Play some music and when it starts, your child dances around the room.
Stop the music and clap your hands. One clap is the signal for your child to make the giraffe shape, two claps is the signal to make the mouse shape.
An extension of this game is to reverse the signals - one clap for the mouse and two claps for the giraffe.
This exercise develops self-control and self-regulation.
Tummy Trap Catch
Place an inflated balloon or cushion against your child's chest or tummy for them to hug with their arms.
Praise your child for "getting" the balloon. Progress to a small throw to your child's tummy level, gradually increasing the distance, making sure your child feels successful each step of the way.
Then use a lightweight plastic soccer ball to repeat the tummy trap.
Try bouncing it to their tummy level and asking your child to "get" the bounced ball. Praise your child for getting the ball, even if it's no longer bouncing.
This exercise develops hand-eye coordination and ball skills.
Jumping Beans founding director Sophie Foster. Photo / NZ Herald
Animal Lucky Dip
In this exercise, which develops fundamental movement patterns, write down the names or draw the following animals and movement patterns on pieces of paper.
They are: gallop like a horse, leap like a frog, run like a dog, slide like a snake, hop like a (one-legged) kangaroo, jump like a rabbit, pounce like a cat, flutter like a butterfly, swim like a fish and climb like a monkey.
Fold up the pieces of paper and put them in a container. Take turns in picking out the "animals", doing the action with the other guessing what animal it is and then imitating the action.
Add animal sounds for extra clues.
Band Time
Gather some "percussion" instruments such as wooden spoons, pots, pans, plastic bowls, plastic cups and put on your child's favourite music.
Sit on the floor together and enjoy playing along. For variety, turn the volume soft or loud and press pause to "freeze" your instruments – an exercise that helps with hand-eye coordination and rhythm.
Grandfather's Footsteps
Draw a straight chalk line or place a long piece of string on the ground. Turn you back and your child starts walking along the line, one foot in front of the other.
When you turn around, your child freezes. As a variation you can suggest your child shuffles sideways along the line.
This exercise helps develop balance and locomotor skills.
This exercise helps develop balance.
• Sophie Foster is author of Parenting Tips: Exercise and Learning – how to help your baby's brain development and the founding director of Jumping Beans, which has provided evidence-based, physical activity classes to Kiwi kids for more than 30 years. During lockdown, Jumping Beans is offering free, online, fun, home-based physical activity sessions via YouTube.
