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MRP Sport’s Self-Isolation Active Inspiration
MRP Sport’s Self-Isolation Active Inspiration The prospect of keepin g you r little ones at home (and acti ve, and amuse d, and ente rtaine d) for the foresee able futu re is a dauntin g one .
While there are incredible parents out there who are geniuses at coming up with activities for their brood, for others, it’s not exactly second nature.
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That’s where MRP Sport’s #KeepMovingInMaxed drive comes in. Share your fun and inventive activities online using #KeepMovingInMaxed and let’s keep each other motivated and inspired! Here are a few fun thought-starters for activities that can be enjoyed in the comfort of your home. Get dancing Let your kiddos pick their fave song of the moment and get them to come up with a funky, choreographed dance for it. At the end of the day, ask them to put on their show and let the hysterics ensue. Home circuit
Turn your home into a circuit challenge. On paper, get your littlies to draw different activities and moves, and place them around the house. Every time they pass one of the ‘circuit posters’ you’ve designed, they need to do that activity, e.g. 10 jumping jacks, hop on each leg 10 times, five frog jumps and so on. Animal athletics
Invent your own animal moves and challenge each other to races. Some ideas: frog jump races, snake slither races or duck waddle races, and so on. This is bound to end in heaps of laughter. Balloon badminton
Enjoy a game of badminton with a twist. Clear some space and enjoy a gentle game of balloon badminton in your garden or in your lounge. The best part: it’s near impossible to lose a big balloon shuttlecock. Get scavenging
Kids love the thrill and challenge of a scavenger hunt. Indoors or out, give them a list of hard-(or easy)-to-find bits and bobs. E.g. A brown, a yellow and a green leaf; a piece of litter; something bouncy, etc. Once they’ve found everything, reward them with a little prize. Push-ups for popcorn
Place a bowl of popcorn on the floor for each child. Get them to lower themselves down in the push-up position, stick out their tongue to reach for a piece of popcorn with each push-up.
With a little ingenuity and some searching online, you’re bound to generate a long list of indoor and garden games to #KeepMovingInMaxed. Need some gear and games? Find all the stayingactive-in-isolation inspiration you need with MRP Sport’s selection of activewear, games and sporting equipment – all available online at mrpsport.com or on the mrp app. • Small classes • All staff hold ECD qualifi cations & up to date First Aid certifi cates • Caring Environment • Safe Playground • CAPS aligned curriculum • Mini Sport, Ballet, Grade R Swimming, Speech & Drama • Hot meals included in fee structure 17 ST KILDA AVENUE, DURBAN NORTH • TELEPHONE: 031 564 7848 EMAIL: broadacrespreprimary@icloud.com
Find Balance Paul Bushell talks about the dauntin g task of raisin g chil dren T here is no such thing as perfect parenting. My sense though is that because of the pressure of this constantly changing world and all the fear it seems to invoke, many parents feel a great urgency to perform and find perfection. This anxiety is being transferred to our children, which is no doubt one of the contributors to the increase in childhood anxiety.
My worry is that the “helicopter parent” has been replaced with a “steamroller parent”, who is acting out these anxious thoughts and feelings by taking it upon themselves to clear their children’s path of any obstacles or challenges as a way of getting to “success” as quickly and smoothly as possible. The trouble with “strapping our children to our back” and “steaming forward” – is that we are raising young people who are far less prepared for a constantly changing world. Three things concern me about this type of parenting: If your child is strapped onto your back forging ahead on a path you have chosen, you can’t get to know and see who they really are. Every child has, and should have, different strengths, weaknesses, interests and dreams. By not knowing and accepting this, perfection on everything will easily stay the end goal. We’re not allowing them to learn valuable lessons about themselves and the world. Growing a trusting relationship with ourselves is such an important part of good emotional intelligence. We foster this and learn other good emotional intelligence skills through everyday experiences. We need to let our children experience some of these everyday moments – even when they’re difficult, exhausting, frustrating, or when there’s a price to pay. You are the greatest gift you can give your child. Your love and consistency
are valuable to them. Chances are if they’re “strapped to your back” they’re not going to get to know you. Although we want our children to participate in a wide range of activities, be careful of over-scheduling their lives. Make quality time with your children, where there is no technology or other distractions. Sometimes this is as simple as taking 10 minutes to draw with them.
Raising children should never be about perfection. Although we have to always make our children’s physical and emotional safety a priority, we need to be careful of not turning the small stuff into big stuff. It’s not okay to let our children go to places and onto the internet without our knowledge or protection. It’s not okay to let our children be abused or bullied. However, it is okay to let our children solve some of their own problems on the playground and sports field. It is okay to let our children face some of the consequences of their behaviour. It is okay for our children to follow their own interests and dreams. We need to hold our own anxiety and find the balance. Paul Bushell’s book, #Raising Kids to Thrive in a Constantly Changing World, is available on his website www.bushell.co.za
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