<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As we approach the year anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown, it’s become increasingly difficult to keep ourselves, or even more so, the kids entertained at home. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Keeping young minds active during this period indoors may seem like an impossible task, but once you start thinking outside the box, there are a lot of available resources that we can make good use of. We’ve put together a list of activities you can do to keep the kids occupied this half term, without having to leave the comfort of your own home. </span></p> <p> </p> <h2><strong>How to keep children active during quarantine</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s important to keep both body and mind active during this period of isolation and there are many fun ways to do so. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the UK entered lockdown, it seems as though every Tom, Dick and Harry have started offering live workout videos that you can follow from home. Unsurprisingly, not all workouts are kid-friendly. The best workouts that you can follow with your children at home, are: </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joe Wicks’ </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">morning workouts</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are uploaded daily at 9am and aimed to replace kids’ PE lessons - to ensure they’re still getting their daily dose of activity. Joe’s dedicated at-home workouts are designed to be available for all fitness levels, so pull on your trainers and get the whole family involved! </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Children’s sport enthusiast </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.jumpstartjonny.co.uk/home" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jump Start Jonny</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has also been offering daily fun workouts on his YouTube channel. Prepare to be dancing and jumping around your living room with the kids for this one. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 233.33333333333331px;" src="https://media.caxtonfx.com/img/1100195/family-quarantine-travel-money.jpg?width=500&height=233.33333333333331" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/60c5dfa2ec2b49e787b59746ef02a0a9" /></p> <h2><strong>The best virtual tours for kids </strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You may have a bookshelf brimming with novels or a subscription to every TV streaming service possible, but sometimes that just isn’t enough to cure our boredom. There’s only so much Paw Patrol you can watch in one week! </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Netflix just isn’t quite doing it for the kids - consider taking them on the many virtual tours that are available online, from zoos to museums. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If going to the zoo is one of your children’s favourite Easter-holiday activities, stick </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/chesterzoo" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chester Zoo</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">’s YouTube channel on the big screen and follow the zookeepers as they take you on a tour of the different animal enclosures. Your little ones can meet Kasarna the tiger and Kyra the sun bear - all while eating their breakfast! </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or, if you want your children to enjoy a fun yet educational virtual tour - the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fartsandculture.withgoogle.com%2Fnaturalhistorymuseum%2F&data=02%7C01%7CSophie.Field%40caxtonfx.com%7C56dc8f3cb4304c7c545508d7d4b2e928%7Ce4b7256fe1b845f4b530309efad68ba8%7C0%7C0%7C637211737205512918&sdata=Q05Dohzee%2F9LTy9YGbHdWeVRHl1iqYKpFJKw%2BNNMTsg%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" data-anchor="?url=https%3A%2F%2Fartsandculture.withgoogle.com%2Fnaturalhistorymuseum%2F&data=02%7C01%7CSophie.Field%40caxtonfx.com%7C56dc8f3cb4304c7c545508d7d4b2e928%7Ce4b7256fe1b845f4b530309efad68ba8%7C0%7C0%7C637211737205512918&sdata=Q05Dohzee%2F9LTy9YGbHdWeVRHl1iqYKpFJKw%2BNNMTsg%3D&reserved=0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">National History Museum</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> would go down a treat. Put your headphones in and watch them be whisked around each exhibition - learning about our prehistoric world to modern day. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 233.33333333333331px;" src="https://media.caxtonfx.com/img/1100196/dads-doing-activities-with-kids-travel-money.jpg?width=500&height=233.33333333333331" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/ae22a7062408416faa8b29fbf934d27b" /></p> <h2><strong>Arts and crafts to do at home</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’ve ticked off the indoor PE lesson, and history, geography and literature are covered via the array of virtual tours available - so the only lesson left to tick off is art. </span></p> <p>One thing that lockdown has taught us is that the possibilities are endless when it comes to getting creative in the house; from enjoying an afternoon of painting, learning how to tie-dye an old t-shirt, to creating paper mache dinosaurs.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Remember these are anxious times for everyone, children included. It’s important to talk with your kids to help them through any worries they may have, and if you’re unsure the best way to do so, there are helpful resources on </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">how to talk to children about Coronavirus</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> online. </span></p> <p><a data-udi="umb://document/87efc9e4d69643e89d16cc17f0360317" href="/{localLink:umb://document/87efc9e4d69643e89d16cc17f0360317}" title="The best prepaid currency card and account"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 100%;" src="https://mediaumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/img/1099355/caxtoncard-promo-banner-03.png?width=500&height=125" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/6df25084aa984b97abc05767425af66b" /></span></a></p>