According to a new survey of 1,000 parents of children aged between 5 and 11, conducted by PHE, 78% of parents surveyed in the South West said that being active as a family over lockdown had a positive impact on their child’s mood.
This was especially important as just over a third (36%) of parents surveyed said not being able to play team sports had negatively affected their child’s mood.
Many families started a new type of physical activity with their kids during lockdown: 83% started walking, 49% did Joe Wicks workouts together, and 42% took up cycling, alongside other new activities.
However, as kids returned to school and parents returned to work, it has been hard to keep up being active together. Only 21% of parents have managed to stick to their new activities and 16% of the parents we surveyed said they regret not keeping up their daily walks.
In addition to this, children’s activity levels usually drop during the holidays when they no longer have their daily PE sessions and playtime at school, making it more challenging to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity, which impacts not only their fitness and general health, but also their confidence and mental health.
This is where the 10 Minute Shake Up campaign comes in. 10 Minute Shake Up games can help to inspire parents and children to get active together by breaking down the recommended hour of activity into manageable chunks by playing fun, Disney inspired games.
This summer, PHE has once again teamed up with Disney, with support from Sport England and Olympian Iwan Thomas, to launch a major campaign to get kids active throughout the summer holidays. According to research, nearly two thirds (64%) of children say they would be inspired to be more physically active if they saw their favourite characters being active. The 10 Minute Shake Up campaign seeks to inspire kids by using some of their favourite Super Hero characters from Disney Frozen, Disney and Pixar Toy Story and, for the first time ever, Marvel, with a new set of 10 Minute Shake Up games.
Tracy Daszkiewicz, Deputy Director of Health and Wellbeing at PHE South West: added: “Falling activity levels in children is always of great concern, and recent research showed less than half of children are meeting guidelines with a knock-on effect on their wellbeing. But we’ve also seen families enjoying coming together to try new activities.
“We hope this summer children will get outside playing with friends and family, having fun, building their confidence back and reaching the recommended 60 minutes a day inspired by these fun and easy 10 Minute Shake Ups.”
Iwan Thomas, MBE, Athletics World Champion and Olympian, is supporting the campaign. He said: “As both a dad and professional athlete, I am passionate about physical activity for children. Whether it is with family, friends or part of a team, the health benefits of being active are key to a child’s wellbeing. With the summer holidays stretching out ahead, parents will be crying out for ideas to keep their kids entertained. And whilst the games are designed to keep them happy on their own or with friends, after the year we’ve all had, I think mums and dads might enjoy a bit of Super Hero action too.”
Sport England’s Executive Director of Children and Young People, Mike Diaper said: “The pandemic has caused widespread disruption to children’s activity levels and helping them recover must now be an absolute priority. With the backing of £640,000 of new National Lottery funding, Sport England is proud to once again support the 10 Minute Shake Up campaign. Helping to rebuild confidence while prioritising the fun element, the campaign is key in offering children activities that they can enjoy with family and friends over the summer.”
Many pupils will have already had a taste of the campaign at school via engaging resources for teachers.
To get involved, parents should search ‘10 Minute Shake Up’. On the 10 Minute Shake Up website there are loads of Disney, Pixar and Marvel inspired games as well as the Disney sports quiz to help parents find sports and activities perfect for their kids.
For more information, please search ‘10 Minute Shake Up’ online or visit www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up. To see the Disney sports quiz, visit www.nhs.uk/change4life/activities/disney-sports-quiz
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