Share

6 great channels to get your kids off the couch this holiday

accreditation

I know what you're thinking: let them play outside! Alas, many of us live in apartments or small semi houses with hardly any garden space. And between the north's searing heat, the south's howling wind and rain across the rest of the country, there aren't that many hours the kids can play outside anyway.

So how do we help them burn all that wonderful childhood energy? We found a few fun videos that will let them dance, exercise and do yoga in the funnest way possible.

Just a word of caution when you use your internet browser, and specifically YouTube: don't leave smaller kids unsupervised since some of the related videos could sometimes be unsuitable for children.

1. Cosmic Kids Yoga 

Jaime is a fun storyteller with 170,000 followers on YouTube. In her videos, from short clips to 30-minute work-outs, she tells a story through common yoga movements, perfect to help kids stretch, balance, build strength and have fun. My 7-year-old had so much fun with the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone story that she managed to keep on going for 45 minutes!

Jaime's Cosmic Kids adventures include Frozen and Moana, Spidey Superpowers and Minecraft. She also has a guided relaxation series, a disco series, one to help concentration, one all about friendship and tonnes of other themes.

View the Cosmic Kids Yoga episodes on YouTube.

Also check out New York-based Karma Kids Yoga Studio's YouTube channel with a series of yoga videos for pregnant moms, moms with small babies and older kids too. The sessions use games, music, stories and activities to combine a variety of yoga poses to boost flexibility, coordination, strength and body awareness. If that all sounds a bit serious, take heart: their Slime Meditation video will soon show you how much fun this programme is! They have a very small following on YouTube, which is a pity as they really have some great videos.

 2. Bo on the Go

Fun Bo and Dezzy her pet dinosaur are on a quest to solve problems, but they need help! By performing some "animoves" with Bo and Desadore, your small ones can help Bo to jump high enough to grab the key, or bounce across a bridge. 

This Canadian animation programme has seen 3 series and is available via its own YouTube channel, the PlayKids app and Netflix SA. 


3. MoveTube: Learn the moves to Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling!"

The MoveTube channel on YouTube brings us this amazing contemporary dance tutorial, presented by Dance It Out Master Trainer, Rae. If you recall, it was a hit song from Trolls – one of my kids' favourite animation movies ever! Rae is really great in teaching the moves separately before stringing them all together in the fun sequence. 

Just note the MoveTube also offers tutorials on twerking so best stick to this video!

4. Saskia's Dance School

More dance moves! Saskia's Dance School teaches the choreography to lots of pop tunes, from more intricate moves to Can't Stop the Feeling and Despacito to Meghan Trainor's No and I Feel Better When I'm Dancing

Not only do they get to learn the moves, these videos offer high-octane aerobics work-outs!

5. Lollos and Lettie (English)

These two blue characters took the Afrikaans kids world by storm when they first appeared. Combining original up-tempo songs with lots of bopping up and down, Lollos and Lettie with Alta and Minki got kids dancing up and down the country (remember Bons Laat Dit Gons?). Now also in English, Lollos videos are great to get the kids jumping and dancing to local artists. The YouTube channel offers very few videos, but you can also watch them on Showmax or buy the DVD.

I have to warn you that kids find this highly addictive and you may have to watch this a thousand times. Get your earplugs ready!


Which programmes or channels do your kids hop along to? Post your comments below or send to chatback@parent24.com and we may publish them!

6. Kids workout with Moe Jones

Sporty kids who would like to keep up their fitness levels over the holidays may enjoy Moe Jones's fitness video for beginners:

Also read:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE