Stay screen-free over half term with fun challenges!
Half-term is here but keeping children happy and occupied away from their screens needn’t necessarily be costly as lockdown lifts.
Fun and budget-friendly ideas on how to keep half term screen-free, active and healthy for your family are as follows ...
Build dens and tents Children are naturally inclined to be active, so tempt them away from the screen with some challenging building projects.
Test your coordination skills by gathering sticks and branches, and work together to build a stable and waterproof den.
You can listen to the owls hooting at night, or try to spot foxes and badgers, and gaze at the stars, all from the comfort of your own back garden.
Wash the car in style
A great way to make the most of the spring sunshine is to have a sponge fight and wash the car at the same time.
For a bit of excitement, add water bombs and water pistols. You’ll be getting a job done as well as having fun, and burning calories when you all work your arms for the wash and polish.
Do squats to clean the bottom of the car and stretch to wash the roof.
Get dancing and feel fitter
Why not have a disco? It’s not important if you can tap, zumba, salsa, ballroom or belly dance.
You don’t need to be a good dancer. The only thing that matters is that you’re moving.
Start with a five-minute dance session then gradually increase it by five minutes every few days. You could even play musical statues.
Just 20 minutes of dancing will raise the heart rate and give your family a good cardio workout. It’s also a fantastic stress buster.
Play games outside Games such as volleyball (use a balloon), ping pong, hopscotch and tag will get you off your seat, but if you try and add challenges to the mix, this makes things more exciting.
Challenge yourself to
learn a new skill or improve existing ones like skipping, roller skating, juggling, skateboarding, hula hooping or ball skills. How about target practice using a ball or nerf gun?
To give your body a good stretch, play twister. You can make your own game by marking circles on the ground using coloured chalk.
Walk in the fresh air
among nature
A walk in the park is a great way of spending quality time together and getting active.
To avoid getting bored, stop and climb trees, or swing on a branch. Identify types of trees or flowers.
Try and vary your route to ensure that you have a mix of up and downhill walks. Always keep a bottle of water handy and try to breathe deeply to use the full capacity of your lungs.
If you’re interested in an imaginative way to explore towns, cities and villages in the UK, then try a Treasure Trails self-guided themed tour which has walking routes that start from twohours, although you can do it at your own pace.
Claire Spurway, European and World Masters Indoor 60 meters champion, partnered with Feel Good Contacts to endorse the above activities.
Nimesh Shah, marketing director, said: “Sitting is the most passive thing you can do, which means you’re not metabolising sugars and fats.
“Research shows that long periods of sitting can have a detrimental impact on our health and wellbeing and cut years off our lives.
“Use the May half term to get active with your family to help relieve stress and tension and boost your mental and physical health.”