So, schools are closing from Friday until who knows when but don’t panic! As a parent and educator, it is important that we help ourselves and children remain positive during these times.
Just like the saying goes, “the mind is a powerful thing” and I strongly believe that key to remaining positive is to have a healthy mindset, so here are my top tips to stay healthy mentally and physically during self-isolation.
Tip #1 every morning take part in meditation which can be done as a whole family and can be useful for all ages even if you have one child or multiple children it is something that you can do together. Guided meditation can be found on Youtube, Spotify and i tunes.
Tip #2 introduce your family to a gratitude list, how it works is every morning or evening encourage your child/ren to write down one thing that they are grateful for ; becoming grateful will help us remain positive and to remember that things may not be as bad as it seems. This can also be an art activity as they can be as creative when decorating their gratitude list, older children may want to create on the laptop.
Tip #3 music, is such a powerful tool to help us stay uplifted, why not try the following:
- Musical charades
- Dance party
- Creating a music video on Tik Tok or Triller.
- Talent show
Tip #4 take part in regular exercise if you can go outside then here are some ideas
- Play tag games as they’re inclusive of everyone
- Obstacle courses can be played in teams or individually
- Races
If you are not able to get outside, then you can:
- Play “Just dance” on Youtube and follow along
- Table tennis
- Children have a great imagination ask them to create a game.
As teenagers may be reluctant to join in, make it interesting with a forfeit. i.e. the loser must do dishes.
tip #5 Quiet time – please try to as parents take some time for yourself this is where The Xbox, PlayStation, board games, colouring books, movies and puzzles can be useful. Structure your day so that there is quiet times and use this time for yourself.
At UDA we teach children and young people to be Unique, Dream big and stay Ambitious, we will be moving our fitness sessions online and updating our website with how to videos and activities. Please register with us at www.uda.org.uk and follow us at UDA2011 for updates.
Best Wishes
Katrina Thomas
Director
udaorguk.wordpress.com 