They bounce off the walls and cannot stop moving.
You are reluctant to take them on long journeys on public transport because you cannot get them to sit still for more than five minutes.
They have boundless energy and are difficult to get to sleep at night because they are always ready for more.
Your day is spent trying to figure out how to wear them out so you can catch a break.
Sound familiar?
You might have an active child. Some kids are just more energetic than others, and you want to know how you can engage your go-getter children in meaningful activities that cater to their high-octane needs.
What are some good ways to occupy an active child?
Sports and exercise drain a child’s battery meaningfully
Get your children involved in an active, hands-on sport. This does not mean that they have to become world-class athletes – remember, the goal is simply to let them exert themselves physically in a way that also adds value to their lives.
Sports has a load of benefits for children other than the obvious physical ones of relieving stress, burning energy and helping to form healthy habits for life. It also improves their cognitive skills and helps them to be better at following instructions and staying focused in the classroom – skills that your little Energizer bunnies will really benefit from.
Secondly, team sports help your children build meaningful relationships with other children, teaching them social skills, discipline and teamwork as an added bonus.
Of course, the fact that most physical exercises are often done outdoors means that your children get loads of fresh air, Vitamin D from sunlight, and exposure to nature. In a country where childhood myopia rates are the highest in the world, letting your children soak in the greenery of nature helps since the colour green is the most soothing to human eyes.
Find out what to look out for in a good speech and drama class for kids in Singapore!
Active kinaesthetic learners benefit greatly from drama classes
Most active children learn best through movement. They are not suited to a ‘sit and listen’ type of class. Very often, active, energetic children are mislabelled as having a behaviour problem and are often told to ‘sit still’.
However, movement is a valid learning style. Kinaesthetic learners are multisensory, usually have great hand-eye coordination and are most absorbed and focused when they are allowed freedom of movement while they learn.
What better way to meaningfully engage your active children than a drama class for kids? Drama classes incorporate things like movement, voice projection, creativity and sometimes even music, all of which would be thoroughly embraced by children with energy to burn.
Drama classes and kids’ theatre programmes like Actors Centre Kids, powered by MindChamps, are very useful for building a child’s inner confidence. An active child who is used to being told to keep quiet and stop moving about will really enjoy letting loose in a drama class. Theatre training also helps to bring out the creative expression in children through engaging activities and thoughtful exercises.
Spend one-on-one time with your active children
Interestingly, one way to drain your children’s physical batteries is to recharge their emotional ones.
Spending quality one-on-one time with your children can often motivate them to be better behaved and more in control of the way they let off steam. Showing empathy and love to your children is a sure way to help them learn how to show empathy and love to others.
This could help in small and simple ways. Active children often bulldoze over other children (and sometimes adults!) in their excitement and exuberance. They often feel emotions very strongly which can manifest in outbursts of elation or furious tantrums.
When you fill up your children’s love tank, you equip them with the emotional stability to handle their big emotions and tone down hyperactive behaviour.
The best preschools in Singapore are fully equipped to handle active children
Most importantly, find the best preschool to partner you in raising your energetic children. Since our children’s teachers see them for the better part of the day and often even see our children more often during their waking hours than working parents might, it is crucial to find the best preschool that aligns itself with your parenting philosophy and which understands how to bring out the best in your little ones.
Supportive teachers would work hand-in-hand with parents to handle children with empathy and care. They would figure out the best strategies to manage your active children and allow them maximum room to grow and blossom into the best pre-schoolers they can be.
The best preschools in Singapore would provide lots of opportunities for sports, exercise, outdoor time, and kinaesthetic learning, along with well-trained, supportive teachers.
Written by JoBeth Williams