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Getting Active at Home

Getting active at home

Coronavirus and its impact can create worry and stress for many people. While you follow guidelines to stay at home, looking after your family and your physical and mental health is vital. Here are a few resources that might be useful.

You can also search #StayInWorkOut for loads of other daily online challenges and activities.

There is support and advice out there for anyone unsure how to protect their children online. Here are some links to help you understand online safety;

  • Childnet offers a toolkit to support parents and carers of children of any age to start discussions about their online life, to set boundaries around online behaviour and technology use, and to find out where to get more help and support
  • Commonsensemedia provide independent reviews, age ratings, & other information about all types of media for children and their parents
  • Government advice about protecting children from specific online harms such as child sexual abuse, sexting, and cyberbullying
  • Government advice about security and privacy settings, blocking unsuitable content, and parental controls
  • Internet Matters provide age-specific online safety checklists, guides on how to set parental controls on a range of devices, and a host of practical tips to help children get the most out of their digital world
  • Let's Talk About It provides advice for parents and carers to keep children safe from online radicalisation
  • London Grid for Learning provides support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online, including tips to keep primary aged children safe online
  • Lucy Faithfull Foundation StopItNow resource can be used by parents and carers who are concerned about someone's behaviour, including children who may be displaying concerning sexual behaviour (not just about online)
  • National Crime Agency/CEOP Thinkuknow provides support for parents and carers to keep their children safe online
  • Net-aware provides support for parents and carers from the NSPCC and O2, including a guide to social networks, apps and games
  • Parentzone provides help for parents and carers on how to keep their children safe online
  • Parent info from Parentzone and the National Crime Agency provides support and guidance for parents from leading experts and organisations

UK Safer Internet Centre provide tips, advice, guides and other resources to help keep children safe online

Online workouts for all the family

Active Luton Home Workouts

Active Luton Home Workouts

Live coaching sessions from Bedford yoga coaches available each day

Live coaching sessions from Bedford yoga coaches available each day

Tom Daley 10 Minute whole body workouts

Tom Daley 10 Minute whole body workouts

JOIN THE MOVEMENT:Tips, advice and guidance on how to keep or get active in and around your home by Sport England.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT:Tips, advice and guidance on how to keep or get active in and around your home by Sport England.

MadFit Workouts (no equipment needed)

MadFit Workouts (no equipment needed)

Joe Wicks Home Workouts for Seniors

Joe Wicks Home Workouts for Seniors

British Heart Foundation 10 Minute Living room workout

British Heart Foundation 10 Minute Living room workout

Fitness Blender Workout Videos

Fitness Blender Workout Videos

Skipping workouts

Skipping workouts

MovewithMencap

MovewithMencap

iPrescribe Exercise

iPrescribe Exercise


Getting Outside

Physical activity

Whether you are self-isolating or staying at home for longer periods as advised by the government, it is essential to get enough movement and exercise in your day.

Advice from Sport England on keeping active:

Being active in a way that is right for you can improve your physical health, help manage stress and anxiety and just generally make you feel better.

You can still go outside for a walk, a run or a cycle, if you're well enough and follow the latest official advice on social distancing - which means staying more than two metres from others - and follow the advice on general hygiene. It's important that you stick stringently to the guidance.

Our advice is that if you're going outside to get fresh air and to get active, that you do it locally, staying close to your home and avoiding places where it may be hard to follow the guidelines.

Your mental health

Coronavirus and your wellbeing

You might be worried about coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it could affect your life. There are lots of things you can try that could help your wellbeing. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

Mental health helplines

Whether you're concerned about yourself or a loved one, these helplines and support groups can offer expert advice.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/

Children's mental health - explaining Coronavirus to children and young people:

Child Mind: How to talk to children about the outbreak

BBC: How to talk to children about the outbreak

Anxiety, Relaxation & Mindfulness Apps for Kids

  1. Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame: this app is for kids of all ages. This is a helpful and educational app that you can let your students use when they are struggling with a particular problem. There is also a parent's section, so you can use the app along with your students and guide them through the process.
  2. Settle Your Glitter: this is an effective emotional-regulation tool for kids. It allows them to note down their feelings and emotions and focus on their breathing. This is best for kids who struggle with hyperactivity or impulsivity.
  3. Mandala Memory: this is a card-flipping game which is appropriate for kids of all ages. The challenge is that the patterns look a lot like each other, which means that more focus and attention are needed in order to correctly match the cards.
  4. Super Stretch Yoga: it offers a kid-friendly guide to 12 different yoga poses. Each pose is introduced by a short animation and a live video of kids attempting to replicate the pose. Your students can even take pictures of themselves doing the poses and these pictures are automatically saved on your phone. Yoga is one of the most common ways to practice mindfulness, and with this app, your students can start this way of life at a young age.
  5. Breathing bubbles: this app is an emotional-regulation tool that helps kids release the tension and worries and focus on happy thoughts. This is most apt for kids who are going through a stressful situation or for kids who do not know how to label his emotions. The app lets kids name the emotion, determine its intensity, and then focus on a digital bubble that contains a user-created worry or joy.
  6. DreamyKid: the app includes kid-friendly guided visualizations, affirmations and meditations. Kids can listen to music that help in relaxation and falling asleep, and even focusing for school.
  7. Scape: it is an innovative app that makes ambient music by combining shapes, colors, textures, and backgrounds into a visual palette. Each shape contains musical elements designed to behave differently depending on where and when they are used. It allows your students to explore relationships between visual and sonic elements and experience tranquil and meditative listening moments.
  8. Ameka Love: Journey to Crystal Mountain: it is a storybook about a little girl on an adventure. The girl is in search for magical stones, dragons, and practices meditation. Its main lesson is for kids to be independent and for them to develop their self-management skills.
  9. 5 Minute Escapes: it is a simple app with visuals and relaxing music. You could use this during the first 5 minutes of your class just so you could keep your students focused throughout the rest of the class.
  10. Stop, Breathe, and Think: it is one of the most interactive meditation apps. Kids can earn stickers just by using the apps more frequently. This is more appropriate for young teens.
  11. Smiling Mind: it is an app for kids who often experience anxiety or stress. The app offers psychologist-developed mindfulness meditation activities. Each session starts with a few questions that will help the kids focus and bring their attention to the activity. The steps of meditation are simple and easy to follow. Consistent use could benefit the kids to the extent that they will be more focused in school.