Healthy ways to keep your kids engaged at home

While being stuck at home has allowed everyone to catch up on family time, it also poses a new set of challenges when it comes to keeping everyone entertained. Finding ways to engage your kids while supporting your family’s wellness can help to bring you closer together and boost everyone’s mood!

Making physical activity a family affair can be a great time to bond and add variety into your “safer at home” lifestyle. There are also several ways to involve your children without having to break a sweat.

STAYING ACTIVE AS A FAMILY

Go for a family walk
Go out and get some fresh air. Make it a game by picking a color and seeing how many things of that color you spot on your walk.

Take turns selecting an exercise Complete the first exercise 10 times. Then, let the next person choose an exercise to add on. Do exercise one, then exercise two and keep going until everyone has a chance to choose an exercise.

Find a group yoga or workout class
There are many workouts and ideas available on YouTube.

Have a dance party
It’s a great way to break up the day and bring everyone together. Rotate song picks so that everyone has a turn to choose a song.

Hold a family Olympics
Set up different activities each family member can compete in, such as:

Who can stand on one leg the longest?
Who can build the tallest toilet paper tower without it falling over?
Who can do the most jumping jacks in one minute?
Who can jump the farthest?
Who can pick up 10 toys scattered in the yard the fastest?

Have your kids create their own prize medals to award at the end of each activity or the whole event.

Set up an obstacle course
This is a great backyard activity. Find objects you can safely jump over or run around. Run a lap around your house and hand off a homemade baton to the next family member. Time each family member and see who is the fastest.

Minute to Win it Games
You can find many of these on YouTube. Take turns trying new challenges and cheering each other on!

EATING HEALTHY AS A FAMILY

Going to the grocery store or even just looking in our fridge and pantry might be a little different than normal, but there are plenty of ways to make cooking a family activity while encouraging healthy eating habits for everyone. Here are some ideas for healthy cooking with kids:

Select kid-friendly recipes
Allow children to be involved in the recipe selection. Give them a list of recipes to choose from that meet your family’s preferences and budget.

Allow children to shop with you
To keep everyone safe, have them help you place your online pickup order.

Let them help
If the recipe does not already do so, review in advance and identify portions of the meal preparation that are appropriate for your child, based on their age.

Be patient and don’t give up!
Remember that cooking skills are learned with time and practice. Allow your child’s confidence to strengthen by starting with basic tasks and guiding them toward more complicated tasks.

Share your meal together
Have the family sit down at a table and eat together. Build a positive environment by engaging in conversation and sharing fun stories with each other.

For more valuable advice on staying well throughout the pandemic, and to stay connected to others, we encourage you to join the QuadMed Well-being Facebook group or subscribe to the QuadMed YouTube channel, where you can find exercise videos and more to keep you active, healthy and engaged.