Fostering family connection during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thinking back to your childhood stirs fond memories for many. Recollections of playing with your siblings and parents, and the joy and happiness associated, is a cherished memory for many no matter the age. The joy of the mundane everyday togetherness of childhood, whether that be creek adventures on a family holiday or riding bikes all together, creates memories cherished well into adulthood.
Unfortunately, 21st century living has seen this mundane everyday togetherness shift from the outside in, and playtime shift from outdoor activity to indoor screen time. This shift has been encased in this excuse of busyness. That is until 2020.
The current global pandemic has seen this busyness justification redundant. COVID-19 has created a global slow down with many families spending more time together than they have ever previously. If any positive can be extracted from these unprecedented times, it is the opportunity it has created to reconnect as a family and get active together.
Whilst some activities have been curtailed by COVID-19, the reality is that fun can still be had for families. It is as simple as getting out and walking together. Here’s some ideas for how to get moving together as a family during this time.
- YouTube is full of family-oriented workouts. is a great channel with workouts designed for the whole family. Try to set a time to do these workouts routinely just like kids would at school. Mid-morning, around 10.00am, is a great way to get everyone moving in the morning and energised for the day.
- Yoga – yes for kids too. It’s a great way to slow down, stretch and be calm. There are plenty of free apps to choose from and can be done in your lounge room or backyard.
- Walking, biking, or scootering to the park or around the neighborhood streets.
- If you are lucky enough to have a pool, get swimming. A family game is a great way to get everyone moving in the pool.
- Find a new sport or activity you can learn together in your backyard. Volleyball is a great one to try. You can tie a rope between two trees for the net and use a soccer ball if you don’t have a volleyball. Use a balloon for fun modification to volleyball.
- TikTok is the current craze and a surprisingly great way to get your body moving. The app is full of countless dance trends that you can learn as a family. They are fun, hilarious and quick to learn.
- Set up a time-trial obstacle course in your backyard. It is a way to get creative and get your heartrate up. Google and Pinterest are full of ideas on how to make different courses in your home and backyard.
- It can be as simple as kicking a football in the park or your backyard.
- If you don’t have a frisbee, make paper airplanes and throw these in the backyard instead.
It is important to incorporate at least one physical activity daily. The more you do it, the more it will become routine and exciting part of your day. The trick to keeping it exciting is changing up the activity regularly. A good way to do this is to make a weekly plan on a Sunday. Sit down as a family and plan each day’s activity.
If things get tough, remember – you’re not only getting healthy as a family, but building up a great store of wonderful memories to reflect on in years to come. And, if you run out of ideas head to over our Facebook Group where we will be sharing more suggestions and would love to hear your ideas too.