Child weight gain

[UltraTurtle]

DD is 8 and has always been very tall but slim. Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed she's looking chunkier than usual, definitely around her tummy and face. We don't have scales so I can't weigh her but I do think she's put on weight. Which isn't surprising as she is doing a lot less exercise than usual and seems to be hungry all the time. We are limited to how much time we can have outside and we have a tiny garden so looking for any tips on perhaps good YouTube videos to help exercise (she hates Joe Wicks but loves doing Go Noodle and cosmic yoga so something along those lines) or other ideas to keep her active at home? Thanks!

Do you exercise OP? Could she join in with whatever you do?

I do very gentle exercise that is tailored to me due to a disability, she does join in sometimes but to be honest it barely gets my heart rate going so I don't think it is very useful for her.

Please don’t buy scales or weigh her.
Plenty of physical activity and healthy food choices and make sure she is kept busy doing things she enjoys. Can’t you go for walks?

Could she be due a growth spurt? My 10yo DD got chunkier than usual (could still see ribs but a shadow of them rather than actually see them IYSWIM) earlier this year but has grown 5cm since lockdown started and is back to being her usual slim self.

I’ve got the same problem with the same aged child. I’ve also tried doing Joe Wicks but although I did it ( badly) she flopped about making not a huge amount of effort. We have been out for walks and bike rides but I’m actually WFH so don’t have the kind of time I would hope so she’s spending more time sitting down. Food wise we’re not too bad -Yesterday was porridge, fruit, sandwich, veggies and fish, with cous cous ( probably a biscuit somewhere) so it’s definitely down to activity. I need workouts that aren’t Joe Wicks I think.

I wasn't planning on buying scales, we don't have any because I don't think they're particularly useful. I mentioned them in case people asked what she weighed.

I am shielding so I'm not supposed to leave the house at all. This has been hard all around. DH has been taking DD for walks and I've made the decision that I will do as well. But this is a child that is usually on the go from first thing in the morning until last thing at night but she's getting bored, more screen time, more reading, drawing, basically lots of things that involve sitting down!

I'm not overly concerned about a small amount of weight gain, but if I can find things that she enjoys that also keep her active then that would be great.

I know it’s crazy, but my daughter (6) loves the workouts I do which feature weights. We fortunately have a case of tiny weights (0.5kg-2kg). She actually asks for those workouts. I follow Heather Robertson on YouTube. If you don’t have suitable weights, she could use tins of food.

Lucy Wyndham-Read does kids’ workouts, but they may be a tad babyish (she does some workouts revolving around a story / solving a mystery).

(Obvs you have to watch her form very carefully with weights to avoid injury)

Does she like dancing? My DD, also 8, is similar and also didn’t enjoy doing Joe Wicks. She does enjoy dancing though and has loved doing routines by Oti Mabuse.

Same.
DD is eating everything she can get her hands on and refusing to be active. It's really bloody hard. Me and her brother are really active, eat sensibly and have a natural off switch when it comes to biscuits and junk food. She doesn't.

Same here. 8 year old with massive appetite who is usually incredibly active. Hates exercise videos. Sometimes manage to get him out cycling. Scooting (in skate parks) has the most success but he has sprained his ankle so is back to not moving much.

He likes lifting weights (2kg) and doing things like press ups. But its hard to find cardio stuff.

Thanks for the suggestions, will look at the YouTube videos mentioned and hope we can find something she'll enjoy. Definitely don't want to make exercise a chore for her.

Fully agree with PPs, don't buy scales, they're no help in the long run.
My teen DC have always had a growth cycle of "lengthen then widen then lengthen". Once we understood it, me & DH stopped worrying about their development & so far all seems well - it's just a bugger to find adaptable clothing, especially school uniform.

I do know my just turned 9 yr olds height and weight.
I've put his details into the NHS thingy. He has to put on 10% of his body weight to ho from 36% to 76%. And that is still well within healthy, and hes not particularly skinny (compared to his brother- buying trousers isnt problematic, it is exceeding hard for his skinnier brother). If she was slender initially, she is unlikely to have put on enough weight to make her unhealthy. More exercise, and smaller snacks until thus is over will probably be fine.
I guess what I'm clumsily trying to say is making some changes to slow weight gain us a good idea, but its unlikely to be problematic weight gain.