This Wednesday, 20th September 2023, is National Fitness Day – the UK’s biggest celebration of health & fitness – and the theme this year is “Your Health Is For Life”.
According to Sport England’s latest Active Lives survey, more than a quarter of the population in England is classed as inactive – defined as averaging less than 30 minutes of exercise a week
Here at Cricket tots, our whole mission is to instil a love in children of getting active in a fun & engaging way – through learning the fundamentals of cricket!
And this National Fitness Day, we want to encourage kids and their parents/carers right across the country to take part in 10@10 – simply do 10 minutes of physical activity at 10:00 AM on Wednesday.
Try these fun cricket-based activities
We’ve come up with some fun cricket-based activities for you to try. Choose one, or try them all for a couple of minutes each.
- Catch and Run: Stand facing your child and throw a soft ball to them. They should try to catch the ball and then run a few steps forward. Start off throwing the ball gently, gradually throwing it harder as your child gets better.
- Caterpillar Catch: Set up 3 cones in a line, about 1-2 feet apart. Have your child stand behind the first cone and throw the ball to them. They should try to catch the ball and then throw it back to you.
And if you have a few children together, how about:
- Cricket Freeze Dance: This is a variation of Freeze Dance, but players have to freeze in a cricket-related pose. For example, they could freeze as if they are batting, bowling, or fielding. The last player to freeze in a cricket-related pose is the winner.
- Follow the Leader: One person is the leader and they do different movements, such as running, jumping, hopping, or skipping. The other players follow the leader and do the same movements.
Some additional tips
Here are some additional tips for playing these games with toddlers and preschoolers:
- Keep the games short and simple
- Make sure the equipment is appropriate for the age of the child/children taking part
- Use a soft ball to avoid injuries
- Be patient and encouraging
But most of all, have fun!