Half Term Activities

Throughout the February half term, children often find themselves with very little to do. They often resort to spending their days sleeping or playing on their computer games or play stations. This time Breaking Down Barriers decided that we wanted to see what we could do to change this as an organisation.

We wanted to see if we could encourage the children to do something productive with their time and and so we organised activities for all children throughout the community to take part in.

We set up classes that ran from Monday 17th to Friday 21st February, from 9:00am until 3:00pm.

The children kickstarted their day by raising their heart-rate with a game of basketball. Although there was a sporting element to this, it taught the children team building and leadership exercises where they had to strategise and win the game through tactics and planning.

Alongside the sports, we also incorporated an educational aspect into the children’s day to keep their brain engaged. The classes consisted of teaching the children about the basics of the human body and how their muscles are put to work whilst exercising. The enthusiasm and laughter coming from the children proved to us, and their parents, how much of a success this was!

The children were also provided with healthy, nutritious meals during the day to energise them for the afternoon. We wee careful to ensure that all dietary needs were taken care of and that the choices of food were healthy and enjoyable.

The afternoon took them by surprise, as not only were they participating in group activities but were required to compete alone too! This taught them how to think on their feet and make decisions on their own accord rather than consulting with others.

By the end of the week the children were taught how to play many sports such as basketball, badminton, football and cricket. Alongside this they were taught about the human body and the importance of exercise, Knowledge which they could take with them to use at school.

On Friday afternoon, to finish off the weeks’ activities, they were awarded for their efforts with medals and certificates. We asked them what what they thought of the week:

“It was so much fun and I learnt a lot, I can’t wait to tell my friends at school.” (Age 9).

“I learnt how to play new sports and made so many new friends, I want to do this again in the next holiday.” (Age 8).

This alongside the smiles on their faces showed us all that the week had been a success.

We look forward to running this activity during each of the upcoming school breaks and intend to expand upon the activities and learning to provide an even better alternative to staying at home.