NEWS / BLOG
Children’s Fitness News
Read our children’s fitness blog written by Sarah Gillespie to get new information
Fitness and Mental Health in Children
While we all know the many physical benefits of exercise for children, one thing we don’t always focus on enough is the positive effect exercise has on our children’s mental health and well-being.As parents, the more you understand about the benefits, the more motivation you will have to implement change into your children’s lives to encourage them to be more active.
Go, Slow and WHOA foods
GO foods are the healthiest, like fruit, vegetables, wholegrains (bread, pasta, rice) & lean meats like chicken. These foods are good to eat almost anytime.
Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, Happy Hearts
I hope you enjoyed our Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies, Happy Hearts for Healthy Children webinar on Tuesday.
Shaking off Lockdown in Summer Camp
We are so ready for summer camps! After just over a year of lockdowns, social distancing, mask-wearing, and isolations, we’ve come a long way in understanding the physical precautions we must take to protect ourselves and our families.
The social side to summer camps
It’s official – school is out for the summer! As parents, this may seem like a daunting time full of uncertainties (oh goodness, how will I entertain my kids today!? I can’t bear to hear another “I’m bored!” complaint, especially after a year of isolation).
Building Defences Naturally
The key message is that kids need to exercise daily, eat well, sleep plenty, increase their intake of vitamin D and keep stress levels to a minimum and they will be well on their way to healthier, stronger versions of themselves.
Building confidence is the stepping stone to loving sport
Children label themselves from a young age as ‘sporty’ and ‘not sporty’ and by the time they have reached 6 years of age, they have identified with one or the other, and if they negatively identify themselves, they are far less likely to take part. Tackling self-confidence in sport is essential and I believe it needs to go even further than that – we need to differentiate between sport and fitness. Not every child is going to love sport, but every child needs to love fitness.
Leading the Way out of Lockdown
As all eyes are on returning to school, it is so important that we, as adults, are mindful of the anxieties that may be looming in their minds. Over the next few weeks, talk to your child about how they feel about returning to normality and give them space to talk about any fears they have. Start working on a routine – kids need routine to thrive!
Read more for ideas on how to do this
How are you feeling? Really?
The aim of a body scan is bring our focus inside of ourselves and to listen to the feelings and sensations we are experiencing. As the saying goes, ‘you need to feel it to heal it’ and often by simply acknowledging the feeling and giving it a voice, we can go a long way in releasing it.
Creating space to hear what they’re thinking
During this time of lockdown children are hearing words like virus, contagious, death, ICU – words that would never before have been part of their vocabulary. Suddenly it’s unsafe for them to visit Granny and Granda, to go to school or to visit their friends. So as a parent it’s really important that you are spending time each day considering your child’s well being and ensuring they have a positive understanding of what is happening around them and a way to release any fears or anxieties they have.
H20 Helps me Grow
A lovely visual reminder of how our bodies need lots of water to grow and feel strong and healthy! Print yurs off, colour in your flower and stick it to your fridge to remind you to drink water throughout the day. H20 Helps me Grow
Dancing right in to the weekend with Ruth
Eat A Rainbow
The ideal way to encourage your little one's to eat lots of fruit and veg! Get your chart here: Rinka_Healthy Eating Chart_A4
RINKA Resources to keep your little people occupied
1. A Happy Heart Our Happy Heart graphic is a firm favourite with all our RINKA family. Have a chat about what you need to make your heart happy and then colour him in and draw all the things that make you happy around it! Here are a few things that make us happy:...
Join Ruth’s Super Saturday Dance Session
Weekends are for DANCING! Join in with Ruth’s Routine!
RINKA Health Chart
An easy way to encourage your family to eat a wide range of fruit and veg
Why the fundamentals matter
Here at RINKA, we focus on putting the FUN into fundamental movement skills but mastering these basic skills is a serious business! Why is it such a hot topic of conversation nowadays? The main reason is that the natural habitat of children has changed. Gone are the days of hours spent playing outdoors with balls, skipping ropes and hopscotch and in are the days of structured play and sedentary activity. Children used to master these skills naturally but now they aren’t being mastered at all.
Bedtime relaxation
We all know a good night’s sleep can cure a multitude, but encouraging our kids to get into bed and go to sleep can be a challenging task!
Developing a regular routine (that you stick to!) can definitely help in getting your little ones off to the land of nod, but spending 5-10 mins a night doing some relaxation techniques can aid the process.
Let’s learn to listen a little longer
What our children are telling us is important to them regardless of how insignificant it may seem to us. Kids always remember how we make them feel. Listening to our children makes them feel important, valued and interesting – allowing them to express themselves in a safe space. In years to come the opportunity we as parents can give them now to find their own voice and the ability to express themselves will stand to them.
Sarah Gillespie
Blog Author