Keeping children healthy indoors, part 6: Using chairs

Chairs are another simple and accessible resource for supporting children’s physical activity in a confined space. They offer a wide range of possibilities to promote overall body strength, balance, co-ordination and agility. As always, think of the activities as possibilities, you don’t need to follow them all in this order, or try all of them at once. Children will have their own ideas and decide on their favourites, and you can combine them with any of the activities from previous weeks. Be resourceful and improvise when necessary! Shoes and socks off if possible.

What you need One or two basic kitchen chairs and enough clean, clear and safe space around them so your child can move freely.

What to do

Ask child/ren to:

• sit on the chair with their legs together straight out in front of them and toes pointed – smaller children can be encouraged to climb on the chair independently
• flex and point their feet, one at a time, then both together
• tap their feet together as quickly as possible
• hug one knee to their chest, then the other, then both knees together and balance in this position for a few moments
• spread their legs and arms as wide as possible, then quickly hug their knees into their chest. Repeat this action a few times
• hold each side of the seat and push their bottoms up. Try a few times and hold this position for a few moments, then try bouncing up and down!
• lie on their tummies across the seat of the chair, make their bodies quite floppy, then straighten up and be as long and strong as possible. Repeat this action four times
• wave their arms and legs up and down at the same time, then change to opening and closing their arms and legs as wide as possible
• climb onto the chair independently and balance with their feet together and arms stretched high
• jump off the chair – if appropriate – landing with feet their together. Younger children may be held under their arms and swung down. Repeat this activity as often as your child wants to but it must always be properly supervised

What’s in it for children

All these activities will promote overall body strength, co-ordination and balance. Some are obviously challenging and require lots of practice – some look easy but are actually quite difficult to do. Whatever stage of development your child is at, chairs offer many movement possibilities: for babies sitting underneath gently exploring their space; for toddlers holding on tight as they bob up and down; and for confident and competent four- and five-year-olds testing different ways of jumping off and landing. There is something for everyone!

Many of the activities are also good for adults, as they focus on the core muscles around the spine. A reliably strong core means less back ache and a greater ability to join children in their movement activities with energy and enthusiasm.

Taking it forwards

All these activities can be done at any time of day, with any number of people. You can extend the activities by asking children to go very fast or very slow, hold a position for longer or create their own challenges – for example, lying on their backs with their heels on the seat and pushing their bottoms up, then extending one leg over their head, and hold that foot.

We have come to the end of the series, I hope you now have lots of ideas to keep children active in whatever space you have available. You can always film and share these ideas with friends, family and neighbours. Keeping active and healthy doesn’t require anything more than what you already have, take best care, and enjoy every moment.