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Do lots of activities! All the time to try and tire them out so they sleep well at night. It’s good for children to be active; to explore their surroundings and learn what they’re capable of as well as how far they can push themselves and their boundaries. As parents this can be really hard because:

· We would really love some ‘down time’ to decompress

· We would really like to protect our children from being hurt, getting sick or whatever other consequences there may be for pushing boundaries.

Children’s levels of ‘active’ are as usual always on a spectrum and there is always a wide range of what’s considered ‘normal’. For some children, one activity a week may be enough – whether it is music, drama, creative arts or sport. Other children thrive on trying every activity or opportunity that comes their way. Neither way is right, it comes down to a combination of family values, energy levels, financial and time commitments.

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When children are younger it is easier to keep them busy by visiting all the playgrounds and parks both locally and further afield. By visiting different playgrounds, they get to discover new equipment, layouts, activities and challenges. Some parks have bike tracks round the perimeter and this allows a great space for children to learn, improve and master riding their bikes and scooters. Other parks may have skate bowls for children to learn different skills with their scooters and skateboards. As they get older, you can also take them on bush walks to discover remote beaches, conquer volcanoes or enjoy the serenity of nature in the outdoors.

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In my blog “From surviving motherhood to thriving in motherhood”, I referred to sensory sessions at the local library and that an unexpected consequence of Wriggle and Rhyme sessions were that my babies would have a good nap afterwards. As children grow out of these sessions, I have still found the library a place they still like to visit for various activities such as colouring and their all-time favourite – Lego building. Different libraries have different sized Lego collections. Some have small collections and allow children to display their various Lego builds in display cabinets within the library, while others have vast collections of Lego pieces to inspire even the most challenging of Lego builds.

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Having an active child can be tiring, exhausting even; expensive with all the many activities plus the necessary equipment. The best advice we were given, was to delay joining paid, organized sport for as long as possible. Those first moments of kicking a ball back and forth on the grass, to the hours spent kicking the ball up and down the driveway; the first bike rides with trainer wheels to the first wobbly metres without them; their first forays into painting their masterpieces or building their most imaginative spaceships and houses and airports. The exciting thing about children is that they are always so full of wonder and imagination. Active children force you to try and keep up with them on their mission to learn as much as possible about the environment in which they find themselves.

See you next week!