December Blog_2019

Blue's Blog December 2019

#bluesblog

November 4, 2019 - pdf version

 

Hi everyone! I’m so excited, it’s December, Safe Toys and Celebrations month!  Do you know what that means?  It means we get to celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza.  During these celebrations different cultures have the tradition of giving gifts based on their beliefs.   At Be Active Kids, we encourage these gifts to include active toys for little girls and boys in order to celebrate the holidays.  Here are a few links to help get you thinking about those healthy celebrations:   

(1) Action for Healthy Kids, (2) CDC, (3) Nemours. 

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The Be Active Kids club has a few recommendations for safe and active toys for infants, toddlers and pre-school children.   By providing active toys, children will have a greater opportunity to be physically active and will continue to develop their fundamental motors kills.

 

Check out these fun active toys for our little friends:

Infants Toddlers Pre-K Children
  • Stackable ring
  • Sit and spins
  • Balance boards
  • Various infant balls (w/ texture, sight, sounds)
  • Various infant balls (w/ texture, sight, sounds)
  • Various infant balls (w/ texture, sight, sounds)
  • Activity mats & baby gyms
  • Ride-on toys (trikes/bikes)
  • Tunnels
  • Tummy time mats & pillows
  • Wagons
  • Trikes & bikes
  • Handheld toys (toys that make noise, light up, or have textures)
  • Push and pull toys
  • Indoor trampline or bounce house

 

If you need more ideas, check out the Active Toys and Be Well Equipped to be Active one pagers that offer more ideas and information about active toys for young children.   Feel free to share these with your family and friends.

Children also enjoy having active experiences, such as going to a new park or playground, visiting a trampoline center, swimming in a neighborhood pool or participating on a team or in a class.  All of these activities can be a great gift to a child or the entire family.

Don’t forget there are many playful items that do not cost a lot of money, which you may not have considered as toys, but can be used to encourage physical activity.  These items will not only get children moving more, but they will help them to be creative and more imaginative.   Kids love playing with cardboard boxes, bubbles, pool noodles, containers, kitchen utensils, and blankets.   We consider all of these items loose parts.   No matter if the toys are traditional or are loose parts, we are happy to see children being more active!

From the Be Active Kids Club and our friends at Be Active Kids, we wish you a wonderful holiday season.  Share your pictures and ideas on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #beactiveblue, #caughtbeingactive, and @beactivekids.  See you in 2020! 

 

 

Blue the Caring Cub

Testimonials

  • Preservice Teachers Learn to Use Be Active Kids in Limited Spaces

    I really enjoyed our class meeting. It was interesting to discover that you can do just about anything with children in the classroom where there may not be much space to encourage them to be active.  A change that I will make in my own life is to be more active, as well as my daughter. I will share this information with my friends that have children such as yoga animals, or Simon Says.

    Cathy Sesta, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute

    Thank you for inviting me to be part of this year’s Institute. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the experience. You’re doing amazing work and I hope I’ll be able to continue contributing to it a bunch in the future.

    Rae Pica, www.movingandlearning.com
  • Plenty of Resources That I Can Use and Share

    This class was informative, and I look forward to being physically active with young children. On Friday, I volunteered at a Parents Night Out through my daughter's school. When I got there the kids were watching a movie. I got them up to play Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, however, after that I was stuck on what to do. I wish I had the knowledge I gained from this class, to have made it more exciting.

    I enjoyed your Land and Lake Activity.

    Venessa Wright, Parent & Child Care Provider
  • Be Active Kids Trainers Rock!

    I loved the training.  I would have loved it more if I had the other teachers from my center there also.  I am really looking forward to taking my kit to work and sharing it with my staff.  I liked Brittney, she reminded me of myself as far as being very active and motivated.  When I am at work with my little ones we stay busy all day.  I feel like singing my instructions and dancing my actions helps them to focus better on what I need for them to do.  Britney was great and I learned a lot from her. I am always trying to find new little ways to get the kids moving.

    Tiffany Daniel, Sandhill Community College
  • ECPAI

    The Early Childhood Physical Activity Institute was just wonderful!  Thank you again for including me in such an important effort to create and sustain leaders in EC physical activity. I would love to return to NC anytime that you think I can help. I enjoyed meeting the folks who work with you and hearing about all of the great things that are planned. 

    Linda Carson, Choosy Kids
  • Be Active Kids has Much to Offer

    Congratulations to you and everyone who has been promoting PA for young
    children in NC. You have much to be proud of here. Be Active Kids is an excellent source of ideas for promoting active play in unstructured settings. The Be Active Kids website also has resources on promoting unstructured active play. I encourage folks to review these resources. 

    Diane Craft, SUNY Cortland & Active Play Books