The lockdown of March 2020 really put into perspective for me how much physical exercise my kids got from outdoor play. In March 2020 my boys were two and three. We regularly went to mums and tots groups, we walked every day, we went to the park every other day and spent many days on the beach or at soft play places and they attended a kids gymnastics class once a week.
To be told we couldn’t go to any of these places for a minimum period of 12 weeks was a shock to our routine and obviously to the amount of physical activity my kids got on a daily basis. We thankfully were still able to walk around our local neighbourhood and had access to a playing field.
The long days at home and the reduced amount of physical activity had me really worried : what effect would this lockdown have on my young kids? What could I do to help them? How could I get them to move more? How could I make exercise fun? This is how I came up with the idea of Cube Fun.
My jungle themed cube was my first theme and from there came the exercise theme. Deciding what exercises to put on the cube saw me researching the best exercises for kids. I also took direction from my own kids. What exercises they enjoyed doing and which exercise could be easily conveyed from an illustration.
This research led to me learning all the benefits of each exercise and I thought it would be good to share it on my blog.
My Exercise Cube is a great physical activity idea with these 6 simple exercises for kids.
1. Skipping
Skipping is a great gross motor strengthening skill, also helps with kids concentration levels which helps improve focus.
2. Toe Touches
Toe Touches are a great stretching exercise which helps improve flexibility.
3. Push Ups
Push Ups help boost metabolism.
4. Frog Hops
Frog Hops helps strengthen core muscles and aids posture.
5. Knee Highs
Knee Highs are good for improving strength and coordination as well as flexibility
6. Star Jumps
Star Jumps : Kids just love Star Jumps, well my boys definitely do but they are fantastic because they are so versatile and are an easy at home exercise that helps build stronger muscles.
These exercises together create a kid friendly home workout but it is also exercise disguised as fun. Doing fun activities is when kids get the most benefit and since launching my business I have discovered that the physical benefits of my product are only one feature. The learning benefits include colour recognition, turn taking, helping with development of communication skills and many more. Check out the other themes on my website www.cubefun.co.uk.
For further information on physical activity guidelines for children check out the nhs website.