The Canadian government’s Safechild program offers the following key prevention tips for keeping children active and safe:

Gear up. When children are active in sports and recreation, make sure they use the right protective gear for their activity, such as helmets, wrist guards, knee or elbow pads.

Use the right stuff. Be sure that sports protective equipment is in good condition, fits appropriately and is worn correctly all the time—for example, avoid missing or broken buckles or compressed or worn padding. Poorly fitting equipment may be uncomfortable and may not offer the best protection.

Get an action plan in place. Have an action plan to lower the chances of getting a concussion and other injuries. Get more concussion safety tips.

Pay attention to temperature. Allow time for children to gradually adjust to hot or humid environments to prevent heat-related injuries or illness when active. Pay close attention to make sure that children are hydrated and appropriately dressed when being active.

Be a good model. Communicate positive safety messages and serve as a model of safe behaviour, including wearing a helmet and following the rules.

Arlene Harris, writing for the Irish Times on March 23, 2020, describes how, “In a previous incarnation, just before my first child was born, I left my job in the media and trained as a Montessori teacher. The plan was that I would be able to incorporate my work and home life without too much upheaval, and this proved to be true. Three sons later, I returned to my writing role and began working on a freelance basis – with three children under the age of six at home with me.”

She offers to parents, based at home with their families at the moment, some of the entertainment tricks she has used while working from home for the past fifteen years.

Toddlers

Toddlers like feeling useful, so clear some cupboard space and fill it with your child’s plastic eating utensils, wooden spoons and an inexpensive, pot, pan and mixing bowl. Make sure it’s at child-level so they can access it at will, along with some pasta they can ‘cook’ with.

Leave cloths, dustpan and brush within easy access so they can ‘help’ you clean and allow them to ‘wash’ clothes in a basin. 

This age group has a keen eye for the smallest things, so if you are not self-isolating, a trip to the park, woods or beach will keep them amused for hours as they hunt out shells, bugs and other treasures. If you’re staying closer to home, the same can be done if you have access to a garden.

Another curious toddler interest is sorting stuff – laundry into piles, different coloured/shaped pasta into groups, toys into categories, cutlery drawer, shoes into pairs – so root out (or create) jumbles of items and get them to order it.

Keep them active when indoors by having jumping, skipping, dancing sessions - it will tire them out and give you a bit of a workout too.

Ages four to six

This age group is still wonderfully curious and aside from the usual baking activities, my guys also “helped” with dinner – with plastic utensils, they chopped and peeled, stirred and mashed. This not only kept them busy and by my side while I was cooking, but it also gave them a sense of achievement and the motivation to eat what they had prepared.

Drawing pictures, or printing outlined images off the internet for colouring in are always good for keeping busy

I would encourage everyone to relax the rules over the next few weeks and allow kids to spread out their playing space – setting up various worlds involving dinosaurs, soldiers, dolls, trucks, farm animals, whatever, can take hours and even if the actual game only lasts 30 minutes, trust me, they will spend forever setting the scene.

Dens in the living room or bedroom are always fun and once set up can be a magical place to bring books and treats. These can be made with pillows and cushions, and blankets or tablecloths draped over chairs.

The Utah Dance Artists (UDA) Creative Arts Preschool offers the following suggestions for home-based activity with pre-schoolers:

·       Music and Movement: Children love music, and generally respond very well to it. Ask your child to listen to the different rhythms and tell you what he hears. Ask him to clap his hands, jump up and down, or tap his head to the beat. Let him get in on the music creation by giving him empty oatmeal boxes to use as drums and empty paper towel rolls to use as “trumpets.” Add bells to shoelaces or belt loops and dance around the living room.

·       Beach Ball Balance: Give a beach ball to two or more children and have them hold the ball between them — without using their hands! See how creative they can get when they’re left with shoulders, heads, backs, and tummies for holding a beach ball.

·       Jumping Animals: In this fun jumping game from The Inspired Treehouse, work on coordination, gross motor skills, balance, and more as your child gets to pretend to be different jumping animals. (For full instructions visit the link.)

·       Get Up & Move Dice Game: Make two giant dice out of boxes. On one, write action words like “jump, climb, run.” On the other, write direction words like “in a circle, like a monkey, forward.” Throw the dice and do what they instruct. (“Jump like a monkey.”)This will get you moving too! For full instructions, visit Growing a Jeweled Rose.

·       Hot Lava: Who knows when the hot lava game originated, but chances are you (and everyone you know) grew up pretending the floor was hot lava. The preschool age is a great time to introduce this classic game. Make it more interesting by using paper plates as jumping points.

·       Flash Light Treasure Hunt: Hide a few of your child’s favorite toys around the house (or just in one room), turn off all the lights, and send her off to find her items with the flashlight! Hide a fun snack to enjoy together too.

For more ideas, including Floor Tape Activities and Indoor “Basketball” visit their website at http://preschool.utahdanceartists.com/blog/movement-activities-for-preschoolers-you-can-do-at-home/