Supporting Children During the Corona Crisis

Due to our emergency experience worldwide we know how to support children and their families in difficult times. Now, children all over the world are facing anxiety and uncertainty due to the coronavirus and its restrictive measures. To help these children, we have adjusted our TeamUp activities to fit their needs. Will you join TeamUp at Home week 3?

01. Check-in

Gather everyone with you special TeamUp yell and greet each other with an elbow box. Show the rest how you’re feeling: thumbs up, thumbs down or in the middle. Start off with giving each other a compliment or thanking them for joining.

02. Handwash

What is extra important these days? Washing your hands, that’s right!

03. Body warm-up: dance dance dance

In TeamUp we make sure your body is warmed up before we play other games. Will you join us in the South African Pata Pata dance? Find a little space and here we go: left heel, right heel, knees in elbow to knee, kick forward and turn! Feel free to choose your own music.

04. Compete

We can compete in different ways. Today we play toe catching, First: Sit back to back with a partner, connect your lower, middle and upper back to each other and try making sun breaths together (breath in and out with arm movements). Count down from 3 to 1 and turn around to try and catch your partner’s toes. Have a match of 3 points. Try this variation too: place an object in the middle of the room, put on some music and dance around the object. When the music stops, try to grab the object as fast as possible. Have a match of 3 points.

05. Balancing

Can you walk and balance an object on your head without it falling down? It can be a tissue, a beanbag or a book. Let’s have a rally race from point A to B with some objects that you have to bring back to the starting line. If the object falls off your head, you begin from the beginning. Focus, concentrate and find a way to balance and move your body so that the object stays on your head but at the same time you need to be fast! Have fun.

06. Ann-Mary Cuckoo

Together with your TeamUp at Home buddies, agree on a start-point and end-point in the room, the garden or on the balcony. One person is appointed ‘Ann-Mary Cuckoo’. Ann-Mary Cuckoo closed their eyes. The rest has to wait at the starting point, until Ann-Mary Cuckoo starts to say the words: "Ann….Maryyy…. Cuckoo!" While Ann-Mary Cuckoo’s voice sounds, everyone tries to make their way to the finish as quickly as possible. However, they’re only allowed to move when Ann-Mary Cuckoo is speaking. Once he or she stops talking, Ann-Mary Cuckoo will quickly remove his or her hands from their face. Those caught moving need to make their way back to the starting point. No discussion, Ann-Mary Cuckoo is in charge! The goal is to slowly but surely make your way to the finish and gently tap Ann-Mary Cuckoo on the shoulder. Whoever reaches Ann-Mary Cuckoo first will become the new Ann-Mary Cuckoo.

07. Beach and water

Make a line with clothes, books or a rope. Stand in line, one behind the other, along the marked-out line, facing the leader who stands ahead of the row facing the children. The beach is the section on the side of the line where the children stand, the water is on the other side of the line. When the leader says “Water!” the children jump aside and cross the line. When the leader says “Beach!” they jump back. When the leader says “Beach!” while they are on the beach, they don’t move. If this works well, you can use extra commands, such as: switching legs on each jump.

08. Cooling down: Yoga

We take things easy during the cooling-down: stretch your body, breathe in and out and take time to close the session. We also make sure our heartbeat slows down again. There is no right or wrong way to try these yoga forms. Try the sun breaths, side twists, side stretches, touch your toes, hug your knees and end with a wish!

09. Check-out

Let’s chill out, sing a song, share what you liked and didn’t like today during TeamUp at Home. Don’t forget to thank each other. And last but not least, don’t forget to wash your hands again.

10.Let's have a drink

Why not stay together a little longer a draw about the TeamUp at Home session. Prepare a snack, tea, juice or water. Have some paper, colored markers or crayons. Let’s draw a billboard: 1. What you liked about the session 2. What you didn’t like about the session 3. An idea of game for the next TeamUp at Home session a 4. A wish for tomorrow during your day at home. Share your drawings with each other! In TeamUp we care and listen to each other.