Active Challenge 2024
It’s a new year, and as everyone is talking about their New Year’s Resolutions, so we thought we’d get in on the act. Not to tell you about the many positive changes we’re making for the next 12 months (trust us, there are loads) but to help you get a head start on yours – and most importantly to give you some outside-the-box ideas to get the kids more active in 2024.
We’d love you to get involved as often as you can, share snaps or videos with us of the kids taking part throughout the year (find us on socials @PremEducationUK) and please, have a bunch of fun taking part with your family – or your class, if you’re joining in from school
January: Rolling into the New Year with our Workout Dice Challenge
Let’s face it, it’s freezing outside. So, we’re sticking indoors for this one.
All we’re going to need is:
– A safe space without obstructions, pets, or any objects we might not want to bump into. A carpeted room would be perfect, just so we don’t slip.
– A standard, six-sided die
– two or more players
That’s the equipment list boxed off. Let’s get to it.
How to play:
1. Work together to write a list of six exercises and assign a number to each (e.g. star jumps = number 1, toe touches = number 2 and so on)
2. Decide how many of each exercise you can do (we recommend starting with 6)
3. Gather in your suitable space and roll the die once each to see who goes first (highest score)
4. As the die lands on a number, the player who rolled should perform the exercise assigned to that number (e.g. if you roll a 2, you complete 6 toe touches)
5. Great job! The next player can pick up the die and get ready to roll!
6. Complete several rounds of the game – see which player can check off all 6 exercises first!
Want to make the game a little more challenging or interesting? You could…
– Roll the die for each other’s exercises (all players except the die-roller complete the exercise)
– Increase the number of repetitions for each exercise
– Come up with your own special rules – the kids will have a brilliant imagination for this one. Here’s one we like: change one number to a ‘magic number’ that brings a special reward for the player – or a forfeit for the other players!
We’re really looking forward to you taking part in the Workout Dice Challenge throughout January. Don’t forget to share your best efforts with us @PremEducationUK. Happy New Year – and happy rolling!
To help your family out even more with the healthy start to 2024, we put together a No Junk January calendar. It’s easy to follow and rewarding to complete. Give it a go!
February: Random Acts of Kindness (and Fitness)
After what could possibly have been the longest January of all time, February is finally here! To lift our spirits and embrace the month of love, we’re challenging kids to a month of nicety.
With Valentine’s Day on February 14th and Random Acts of Kindness day on the February 17th, it may just be the nicest month of the year. But why restrict to just two days of goodness. Let’s be extra nice all month and make it a habit we can carry on all year!
Encourage your child/ren to follow along with our free February Kindness Calendar to embed kindness into their life (for February and beyond!) They can also enjoy the exercise challenges thrown in throughout the month to be kind to themselves too.
Still in need of some sweetness? – head on over to our Pancake Day blog for inspiration!
March: Reading Challenge
As we march onwards through the year (pun intended 😊), it’s time to relax, unwind and enjoy escaping into a literary world of wonder.
In celebration of World Book Day on March 7th, many schools will be encouraging pupils to dress as their favourite book character. Here at Premier Education, our wish is to promote a full month of reading and enjoyment (on top of school requirements) with children taking on our Reading Tracker Challenge. Challenge children to read more than they normally would. Using the bookshelf below, children should colour in a book every time they read ten pages in one sitting, aiming to have a fully coloured bookshelf by the end of the month!
And it wouldn’t be a Premier Active Challenge without an element of fitness, so we are also providing a book character inspired workout to enjoy on weekends (or more often if that’s what you want to do!)
Horrid Henry Hops (10 hops on one leg, 10 hops on the other)
Judy Moody Marches (High-knee march on the spot for 30 seconds)
Benjamin Bunny Burpees (Five full burpees)
Peter Parker Plank (30 second plank)
Tabby McTat Twists (10 Russian twists)
…repeat three times!
Let’s get going Book Worms!
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April: Embrace the outdoors
Spring has officially sprung (on March 19th), and although the weather might not be playing along just yet, it’s still a great time of year to get outside and explore the ever-changing world on your doorstep.
This month we’re reflecting on our favourite outdoorsy challenges from the 2023 Active Challenge. These are just our top three, but there are plenty more to choose from. We’d love to know your favourite. 😊
#1. Winter Scavenger Hunt (from January 9th 2023)
#2. DIY Nature Bracelet (from July 10th 2023)
#3. Rugby Challenge (from September 11th 2023)
We also have a fantastic Spring Flower Scavenger Hunt for you to enjoy (complete with a bingo card of flowers to complete) as well as a variety of fun Spring crafts and activities.
If you’re looking for something more energetic, our Easter Activity Book includes an Easter Holidays Fitness Challenge to follow throughout the holidays.
May: Embracing Mindfulness
School life is hectic – for some, SATS are looming large, and for others, the daily bustle of the school playground can be a lot. It’s important to equip children with calming coping mechanisms for when the stress and worry becomes overwhelming.
Mindfulness is a great way to refocus and instil a sense of calm. It’s a handy tool to reset stress and a way to find just a moment of calm. Not only for children, but for parents too.
In addition, mindfulness can also help with:
- Improved social skills;
- Reduced attention problems;
- Mitigating the effects of bullying;
- Improved academic performance;
- Reduced anxiety; and
- Improved mental health and wellbeing.
Help your mini-me(s) follow along with our Mindful Moments worksheet as often as you like. We suggest at least once, preferably twice, a week. We hope you find it useful!
June: Jumping Challenge
With school sports days around the corner, it’s time to launch into our June Jumping Challenge! With our simple techniques, children are sure to see an improvement on their jumping distance.
Download our Jump to it worksheet today to get started!
In addition, we are currently running the Eiffel Athletics Trail in schools to support PE and learning opportunities surrounding the summer games. To accompany the Trail and to keep the fun going at home, children can enjoy our activity book which included brain games and physical activities.
July: Summer Sports Bingo
July is here, and as much as we’ve had a slightly mixed summer so far in terms of weather, there is no mixing up what’s to come this month. Sport, sport and more sport!
Here is what’s coming up:
- June 14-July 14: Euro 2024 (football) – Germany
- July 1-14: Wimbledon (tennis) – England
- July 14-21: The Open Championship (golf) – Scotland
- July 15-27: Women’s U19 Euro Championship (football) – Lithuania
- July 15-28: U19 Euro Championship (football) – Northern Ireland
- July 26-August 11: Paris 2024 Olympics (multisport) – France
To celebrate this summer sports spectacular, we have plenty of free resources available to you to help you follow along with all the action, try new challenges and learn new things: Olympics Activity Book, Euros Activity Book, Wimbledon Activity Book.
In addition, we have a special challenge for you to enjoy this month, in the shape of our Summer Sports Bingo challenge. Can you complete the whole board before the month is over? Good luck!
August: Summer Activity Wall Chart
Hooray! Summer is here, holidays have begun and we don’t have to do the school run for an entire month!
Whilst downtime is essential, it’s important not to let kids’ fitness levels drop over the school holidays. Studies have shown that physical fitness declines over summer…but we’re here to help combat that!
Included within our Summer Activity Book, you will find brain games, crafts, recipes and physical activities. All designed to keep kids happy, healthy and active over the school break.
We have also included a wall chart ‘tracker’ for kids to record what they get up to and to hopefully encourage them to get a variety of activities in each day. A mix of mindful, creative, outdoor and physical activities will ensure a well-rounded holiday for all.
So, don’t delay…download your free activity book today and start tracking your summer activities!
September: Walking challenge
As we prepare to head back to school this month (or indeed start school for the first time!) our new challenge is focussed on walking to school!
On average, it is estimated that those children who walk to school cover approximately 1.6 miles each way. If you aren’t able to walk to school due to distance or circumstance, use this average as a target, or ask a friend how far they normally walk and try to walk that distance in the evening with a family member.
…try and keep going on weekends too!
Use our handy tracker to keep note of all the days you walk to school and how far you walk, giving you a grand total at the end of the month.
October: Art challenge
It’s time to get arty and keep our minds active with our new active challenge.
This October sees the return of The Big Draw, with the theme of ‘Art in Motion’.
In celebration of this, and to help pass the longer, colder nights with some creativity and imagination, we are challenging you to take some run-of-the-mill squiggles and turn them into your own unique works of art.
You can access the worksheet here and if you’d like to share your work, we would definitely love to see it. You can tag us on socials #PremierActiveChallenge
November: Kindness challenge
As well as being the month of fireworks, November also brings with it Anti-Bullying Week from 11th-15th November, and World Kindness Day on 13th November.
With this in mind, our Active Challenge this month encourages kindness, both to ourselves and to others!
Encourage your child/ren to follow along with our free November Kindness Calendar to embed kindness into their life. They can also enjoy the exercise challenges thrown in throughout the month to be kind to themselves too.
December
As our 2024 Active Challenge draws to a close, we would firstly like to thank all those that have followed along with us throughout the year. We hope you enjoyed the activities provided and that they helped to keep you happy, healthy and active!
For this month’s challenge, we providing not just one, but three activities for you to choose from. Plenty to keep kids, both big and small, entertained throughout the winter holidays.
As always, we hope you enjoy! If you’re in need of more activities for kids over the holidays, why not search for a Winter Holiday Camp in your area today.
From all of us here at Premier Education, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
