Charity’s free Activity Packs will help children to get thinking, moving and creative

News Desk
Authored by News Desk
Posted: Saturday, April 25, 2020 - 17:31

Caudwell Children, the national charity that provides practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families, has produced a unique collection of FREE weekly Activity Packs to get children and young people thinking, moving, and creative during the coronavirus lock-down.

The packs, developed in response to the feedback the charity has received from the families that it supports, have been designed with disabled children in mind.

However, whilst many of the activities have been created for children between the ages of four and twelve, the team at Caudwell Children are keen to stress that some of the activities are suitable for older children and even adults.

“Whilst the activities are disability friendly they are also accessible and inclusive to children of all abilities and ages,” said Mark Smith, Director of Marketing and Communications at Caudwell Children. “The packs, which will be emailed to subscribers on a weekly basis, have been designed in collaboration with our Clinical and Family Service teams to meet the needs of a large range of children and young people.”

Because of their experience with disabled children, 78% of whom do not get involved with activities outside the home, Caudwell Children is uniquely placed to understand the issues around social isolation.

The charity has been supporting disabled children and their families for over 20 years and this has helped them to appreciate the feelings of lethargy, boredom, and restlessness that can arise out of a long periods of isolation.

“We wanted to create a set of packs that would entertain and stimulate children,” continued Mr Smith. “We know how tensions can rise being locked in a confined space for weeks on end and we wanted to provide a simple solution for parents.

“We have used our knowledge of what disabled families and their children need to create packs that offer a holistic experience, which recognises the importance of stimulating your mind, body and emotions.”

The charity has split the packs into three distinct collections; Get Thinking, a series of learning exercises such as word searches, puzzles and counting games, Get Moving, physical activities such as scavenger hunts and insect hunts, and Get Creative, arts and craft activities such as colouring, painting and decorating.

Aware of the financial and technological pressures on families during the unprecedented health crisis, the charity has endeavoured to create activities that are affordable and easy to complete. As Mr Smith explained: “With the financial challenges of lock-down some families may not want to spend money on stocks of paper, so many of the activities don’t require you to print off the activity sheets.

“For example you can play spot the difference, find 10 things in your home beginning with the letter A and find 10 things in your home that are blue, without using any paper.

“Whilst our physical activities, such as a wheelchair treasure hunt, indoor aerobics and ball catching simply require participation.”

The activities will also encourage children to spend less time on their mobile devices and each activity will be able to completed in five to 60 minutes.

“We think that the full collection of activities that we will distribute in the coming weeks will be the most comprehensive set of activity material’s ever released for disabled children,” continued Mr Smith. “And I would ask children who complete an activity sheet to send them to us so that we can display them on our online gallery.”

You can subscribe to receive Caudwell Children’s Activity Packs through the website: www.caudwellchildren.com/activitypacks/

You can submit your completed activity sheet by emailing them to: digital@caudwellchildren.com

 

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