20 Ways to Stay Active with Kids During Coronavirus Quarantine

20 Ways to Stay Active with Kids During Coronavirus Quarantine
Many parents are struggling to come up with new ways to keep their kids engaged and entertained during quarantine. Screen time is up across the board and children are more sedentary than usual. They are likely bored, frustrated, and bursting with energy, all while you try to keep up with parenting, working, chores, and everyday life. An inactive lifestyle isn’t healthy for the mind or the body. It can also lead to constipation. Even kids who don’t ordinarily have problems pooping may become irregular, backed-up, and/or constipated. This is not only uncomfortable, it’s unhealthy, too. Regular bowel movements are even important for keeping the immune system healthy and strong. The following is a list of 20 ways to keep your kids’ bodies, brains, and bowels moving, while staying active when we’re stuck at home.

Exercise Activities

Just like how kids have P.E. at school, scheduling regular exercise times with them at home is important for their physical, mental, and emotional health. Here are some fun exercise activities you can try at home.

Exercise Challenges

See if they can run "x" amount of miles in a month, complete "x" amount of push-ups in a week, learn how to shoot a free throw, or whatever they like. Adding a prize for achieving the goal will provide even more motivation!

Music Parties

Sometimes, you just have to let loose and dance! Turn up your kid’s favorite songs and hit the impromptu dance floor.

Obstacle Courses

Set up a course in the yard (or, if you’re daring, in the house) that they can run until they drop!

Learn a Sport

Teach them a sport that interests them, then challenge them to keep working on skills every day. Have a family scrimmage in the backyard to practice!

Balloon Sports

Ball sports may be tough at home, so use a balloon instead! Play “the floor is lava” and challenge them to see how many times they can pass it back and forth without it hitting the ground.

Hula Hooping

Engage those core muscles and see how long they can hula hoop. Give them timed challenges or funny tasks to do while hula hooping to make it even more fun!

Yoga

Have your kids try yoga; it’s fantastic for building core strength. There are great, free tutorials and classes geared towards kids they can follow - and you can join in, too.

Make a Music Video

Kids love music videos - both watching and creating them. Get them moving and thinking by asking them to create a storyboard/theme, make costumes, and then perform to music while you film.

Brain Building Activities

The brain is a muscle that needs to be flexed too! Challenging your kids will keep their brain engaged in healthy ways, develop problem building skills, and keep them active all at the same time.

Challenge Games

Challenge them to do something unique that forces them to use problem-solving skills while moving their body, too. Examples could be connecting all the furniture in the room with legos or building blocks, or getting a balloon from Point A to Point B without using their hands (or feet!). Extra points if they clean up, too!

Reading Charades

Read a book together and then play a game of ‘character charades’. Each person picks a character in the book and acts it out until the other person guesses the right answer.

Tend a Garden

Taking care of another living thing is an excellent learning opportunity and gardening is a good form of light exercise too. Give them weeding challenges, or plant some bulbs (indoors or outdoors) they need to care for each day.

Household Chores

While your kids may not be too excited about this, building chores into their daily routine maintains structure, moves their bodies, and gives them the satisfaction of completing something important that helps you out, too. Make it more fun by creating a daily sticker chart - when they complete the chore they get a sticker and when the week is filled up they get a small prize.

Activity Stations

Set up multiple activity stations around the house and assign an activity like deep knee bends, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and more to keep them entertaining while they get some exercise.

Social Activities

Kids need social interaction, which is hard to come by when self-quarantining. Here are a few activities they can do with friends (virtually) or together as a family that are social and keep them off the couch.

Virtual Play Dates

Schedule regular virtual playdates for your kids! Incorporate movement by playing a dance-off game, charades, or have them take an online exercise class together.

Baking Lessons

Introduce your kids to the art of cooking! Come up with some simple recipes they can make with your help. Challenge them to find a healthy meal to prepare that incorporates fiber to help keep those bowels moving.

Backyard Camping

Go camping - even if it’s just for the afternoon! Camping is not only fun, it’s also hard work. Setting up a tent, roasting hot dogs, making s'mores, and finding kindling for a bonfire keeps them entertained and on the move.

Build a Fort

Too cold for camping? Do it inside! Kids love making forts, so clear a space and let them pile up cushions and drape blankets to make a cozy indoor fort.

Family Walks

Family walks make for great bonding time and ensures that parents and kids are both staying active together. Make a short list of items they can find in nature and have them check them off as they spot them!

Hide and Seek

Make sure the whole family has time to play together. Outside or inside, you can always play a fun game of hide and seek!

Game Night (or Afternoon!)

Game night is great for the whole family. Choose games that involve movement like ‘duck, duck, goose’, capture the flag, and tag to give everyone some fun and exercise.

About DocuSol® Kids

DocuSol® Kids is a first-of-its-kind, mini enema with a non-irritating formula that functions as a stool-softening, hyperosmotic laxative by drawing water into the bowel from surrounding body tissues, replicating a normal bowel movement. This unique formulation provides children ages 2–12 fast, predictable relief of constipation within 2 – 15 minutes. DocuSol® Kids was designed for easy use at home. The DocuSol® Kids tube is designed to offer a minimally invasive, soft, and flexible tip, avoiding any scratching or irritation to the skin. Just a 5-milliliter tube delivering 100mg of docusate sodium, the medication provides fast relief in just a few, easy steps! Learn more about DocuSol® Kids on our website, including where to buy, doctor tips, family resources, and frequently asked questions. Disclaimer: The material contained is for reference purposes only. Alliance Labs, LLC, and Summit Pharmaceuticals do not assume responsibility for patient care. Consult a physician prior to use. Copyright 2020 Summit Pharmaceuticals and Alliance Labs, LLC.