Very early in the Covid-19 outbreak Active Leeds recognised that there was going to be a need for a resource that could support young people and families who had lost their daily routines and would be looking for activities to keep children and young people entertained and active.
With a need for more activities that could be done within the household, and with recent changes allowing some opportunity for play outdoors.
As a result, Active Leeds have designed a toolkit aimed to do just that: a set of fun activities that can be completed within the household and on the doorstep, with limited resources required.
Activities are designed to be as open-ended as possible, allowing for different levels of challenge and for one item to be used in a variety of different ways. Two toolkits have been produced, with a range of games designed with under 8s and over 8s in mind.
The toolkits are fun and adaptable. Ready Set Rainbow, for under 8s, is based on a set of characters: Ray the sunshine, Hydro the water droplet and Cirrus the cloud. Each has a different focus: movement, growth mindset and mindfulness. Children complete one of each type of activity and create a rainbow, which can then be recorded on a wall chart for those that would like a visual reminder of the progress and small achievements.
A hugely significant aspect of the resource is children’s mental health. Through its growth mindset and mindfulness cards, the Ready Set Rainbow toolkit encourages children to focus on the positive, develop resilience and take time out.
Get Active, Stay Active, for over 8s, has a range of games, and useful signposting for anyone wanting to find more mental health support, along with useful links to websites for more games and activities.
This resource is as much for parents as it is for children. It allows them access to an activity that requires very little preparation in advance and absolutely no prior knowledge and/or experience of physical activity.
The #ReadySetRainbow online videos on Active Leeds’ YouTube channel make activities even easier to access, as well as attempting to create an online community that reaches outside of the lockdown household and reminds us all that we are not alone.
Over 600 printed Ready Set Rainbow packs have been distributed to families across Inner South Leeds alongside the South Leeds Lockdown Challenge packs.
Ready Set Rainbow and Get Active, Stay Active are available to view online at Active Leeds’ new Healthy at Home webpage, designed to help signpost all ages to useful resources for keeping active whilst at home: active.leeds.gov.uk/healthy-at-home/be-active/children-and-families.
This post was written by Karen Peck
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