Physical and Mental Well-being Advice for Families

02.07.2020

Physical and Mental Well-being Advice for Families

Carrying out regular physical activities has many benefits. Try scheduling 10-15 minutes at a time into your daily family routine, either in the morning, before lunchtime or before dinner. This will help children view it as part of their daily activities.

Giving lots of positive praise and behaviour description (well done for helping with the washing up) can really encourage and promote positive behaviour and boost confidence in children.

Combining physical activity with learning is fun and has cognitive benefits especially with younger children. They could count how many times they are throwing a ball, a balloon or jumping. They could spell a word and find objects in the home with the letters of the word as fast as they can.

Physical activity helps children build stronger muscles and bones and will reduce the risk of developing bone-related diseases, as well as helping with weight management amongst other benefits.

Here are some suggestions of physical activities that can be part of special time with children at home.

  • Playing outdoors with a frisbee, playing catch with a ball, using skipping ropes or hula hoops.
  • Creating obstacle courses using cushions, chairs, household items, soft toys, encouraging kids to crawl under or through, run, skip, hop between objects.
  • Using chalk to make hopscotch.
  • Ball games such as ‘piggy in the middle’ or using balloons instead of a ball to throw and keep in the air.
  • Using bubble wands might be an idea to get little children running around.
  • If you have access to a computer and internet you can check out for web-based activities such as: The Body Coach.
  • Try some web-based yoga for children using Cosmic Kids or The Yoga Crow.
  • Ideas for home-based activities can also be found at: Active Schools, Change for life and Sport England.

Docklands Outreach
Docklands Outreach is a support service for children and young people. We offer Counselling and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for young people aged 12-21, to support them around their emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. Parenting support is provided for those who have children aged 3-10 years experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. A key aim of our support is to provide coping skills and build resilience for children, young people and their families in partnership with them.

Due to Covid-19, and the additional anxieties and challenges that are faced by many, Docklands Outreach is also providing brief support and interventions to address these.

If you are feeling low, anxious, stressed, just want to talk things through, or want support for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, contact Docklands Outreach.

All our appointments will be delivered by telephone or video call due to Covid-19.

 

Spotlight & Poplar HARCA
Spotlight, has been supporting young people throughout the lockdown through
 one to one calls with youth workers and by opening the new youth-friendly GP service; Health Spot.  They have also launched a range of live online programmes and on-demand activities for young people to ‘Get Creative’, ‘Get Active’ and ‘Get Inspired’.

Why not Get Active with Ade and keep your fitness up during the lockdown?

Poplar HARCA’s Community Development & Wellbeing Team have launched the ‘HARCA Centres Unlocked virtual programme to support the whole family during lockdown. The programme works with local partners to deliver advice and fun content around nutrition, fitness, personal development and overall wellbeing with a full weekly timetable to keep you busy!

Why not check out the Fit for What, Yoga and Karate sessions to get active and have some fun?!