March Break 2026 runs from Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 20, and for parents across Aurora and York Region, that means one full week of keeping kids entertained, active, and out of trouble. Whether your children are enrolled in one of the Town of Aurora’s March Break camps at the Aurora Family Leisure Complex (AFLC) or Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex (SARC), bouncing at Air Riderz, or hitting the ski slopes up north, this week tends to come with a spike in childhood injuries.
The good news? Most March Break injuries are entirely preventable with a little planning and awareness.
Key Takeaways:
- March Break is a peak period for childhood sports and recreation injuries, particularly from trampolines, skating, skiing, and unstructured play
- Warm-ups are just as important for kids as they are for adults
- Children often downplay pain, so know the signs that an injury needs professional attention
- Pediatric physiotherapy can help children recover properly and avoid long-term issues from untreated injuries
- Gemini Health Group in Aurora offers pediatric physiotherapy with private 1-on-1 appointments
Why March Break Is a Peak Time for Childhood Injuries
During a typical school week, your child’s physical activity is somewhat structured and supervised. March Break changes that dynamic. Kids go from sitting in classrooms to full days of skiing, skating, trampolining, swimming, and running around with far more intensity than their bodies are used to.
Research from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows that children aged 10 to 14 are the most likely age group to sustain injuries during recreational activities. Data from the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth found that head injuries and concussions were the most commonly reported injury type among Canadian children, with the majority occurring during sports, physical activity, or play.
The pattern is predictable: a child who has been relatively sedentary through the winter suddenly spends eight hours at a sports camp or trampoline park, and their muscles, joints, and coordination are not prepared for the demand.
Common March Break Activities in Aurora and Their Injury Risks
Trampoline Parks
Aurora families are well served by indoor trampoline facilities, and these parks are a March Break staple. However, trampolines carry meaningful risk. According to Parachute Canada, the national injury prevention organization, more than 1,200 Canadian children aged 17 and under are injured on trampolines each year. The most common injuries include fractures, sprains, and traumatic brain injuries.
The Canadian Paediatric Society has recommended that recreational trampolines should not be used by children, though the reality is that trampoline parks remain popular. If your child is going to visit one, there are some practical steps that reduce risk. Only one child should jump on a section at a time. Children should avoid flips or somersaults, as these account for the most serious head and neck injuries. Kids under six should not use commercial trampolines, as the higher tensile strength of commercial mats creates a harder bounce that puts more stress on developing bones and ligaments.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Many Aurora families head to resorts like Horseshoe Valley, Blue Mountain, or the smaller hills in the Barrie area during March Break. Winter sport injuries are well documented by the Public Health Agency of Canada’s CHIRPP surveillance system. Wrist fractures, knee ligament injuries, and concussions are the most common concerns, especially for beginners.
Proper-fitting helmets are essential. Make sure your child takes lessons appropriate to their skill level rather than jumping straight onto intermediate runs. Fatigue is a major factor in ski injuries, so build in rest breaks throughout the day and recognize when your child is too tired to safely continue.
Ice Skating
Whether your children are skating at the AFLC, the SARC, or at one of Aurora’s outdoor locations, falls are the leading cause of skating injuries. CHIRPP data shows that ice skating accounted for over 4,700 injury records in their surveillance database between 2016 and 2024, with children aged 10 to 14 representing the largest group of injured skaters.
Wrist guards, helmets, and properly fitted skates go a long way in preventing the most common injuries. Children who are new to skating or returning after a long break should take it slow and stick to gentler sessions before attempting to keep up with more experienced friends.
Sports Camps
Aurora offers a range of March Break sports camps, from the Nike Basketball Camp at local facilities to the Town of Aurora’s own multi-sport programs, as well as soccer camps, martial arts, and dance. While these are supervised and generally safe, the combination of all-day physical activity and unfamiliar movements can lead to overuse injuries and acute strains.
Make sure your child is wearing appropriate footwear for the activity, staying hydrated, and eating well throughout the day. If your child mentions pain during camp, take it seriously rather than assuming they will “walk it off.”
How to Keep Your Kids Active and Safe This March Break
Warm Up Before Activity
This is the single most overlooked injury prevention strategy for children. Kids tend to jump straight into activity without any preparation, and parents rarely think to enforce a warm-up. Five to ten minutes of light movement before the main activity can significantly reduce the risk of muscle strains and joint injuries. This can be as simple as jogging in place, doing jumping jacks, leg swings, and arm circles.
Build Up Gradually
If your child has been relatively inactive through the winter months, a full week of intense physical activity is a shock to the system. Encourage a gradual ramp-up. Start March Break with moderate activities and increase intensity over the week. This is especially important for sports camps where children may feel pressure to keep up with peers who are more conditioned.
Make Sure Equipment Fits Properly
Ill-fitting skates, oversized helmets, and worn-out running shoes are behind a surprising number of childhood injuries. Before March Break starts, check that your child’s equipment is the right size, properly adjusted, and in good condition. Helmets should sit level on the head, not tilted back, and the chin strap should be snug.
Encourage Rest and Recovery
Kids do not always recognize fatigue the way adults do. They will push through exhaustion because they are having fun, which is exactly when injuries happen. Build rest breaks into your March Break schedule. An afternoon of quieter activity between two high-energy days helps the body recover and reduces injury risk.
Stay Hydrated and Fuel Up
Even in the cooler March temperatures, active kids need plenty of water throughout the day. Dehydration affects coordination, reaction time, and muscle function, all of which increase injury risk. Make sure your child has a water bottle with them at camp or activities, and pack balanced meals and snacks that include protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
When Your Child’s Pain Needs Professional Attention
Children are notoriously unreliable reporters of their own pain. Some kids will cry over a minor scrape but completely ignore a sprained ankle because they want to keep playing. As a parent, knowing the difference between a minor bump and something that needs professional assessment is important.
You should seek a physiotherapy assessment or medical attention if your child shows any of the following signs after an injury: swelling that does not go down within 24 hours, inability or reluctance to put weight on a leg or foot, noticeable limping that persists beyond a day, reduced range of motion in a joint compared to the other side, pain that worsens rather than improves over 48 hours, visible deformity or misalignment of a limb, or complaints of dizziness, headache, or confusion after a fall or impact to the head.
For head injuries specifically, any loss of consciousness, confusion, nausea, or behavioural changes after an impact should be assessed by a medical professional immediately. Concussions in children are serious and require proper management to ensure safe recovery.
How Pediatric Physiotherapy Helps Children Recover
When a child is injured during March Break, getting the right treatment early makes a significant difference in how quickly and completely they recover. Children’s bodies are still growing, which means injuries can affect growth plates, developing joints, and movement patterns that are still being established.
Pediatric physiotherapy focuses on age-appropriate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in children. A physiotherapist who works with children understands how to communicate with young patients, keep treatment sessions engaging, and design rehabilitation programs that account for a child’s developmental stage.
At Gemini Health Group – Physiotherapy in Aurora, our team provides pediatric physiotherapy in a private 1-on-1 setting. This means your child receives the full attention of a registered physiotherapist for the entire appointment, not a brief assessment followed by exercises supervised by an assistant. For kids, this focused attention matters because it allows the therapist to closely observe movement patterns, build trust, and adjust treatment in real time based on how your child responds.
Common March Break injuries we treat in children include ankle sprains from skating or sports, wrist fractures post-immobilization, knee pain from overactivity, muscle strains from trampoline or gymnastics, and post-concussion rehabilitation support.
Making the Most of March Break in Aurora
Aurora is a fantastic place to be an active kid. Between the trail systems like the Nokiidaa Trail and Sheppard’s Bush, the recreation facilities at the AFLC and SARC, the Town’s own March Break camp programs, and the wide range of private sports and arts camps available, there is no shortage of ways to keep your children moving and engaged all week.
The goal is not to wrap your kids in bubble wrap. Physical activity is essential for children’s physical development, mental health, and social skills. The goal is to be proactive about prevention so that a fun March Break does not end with an injury that sidelines your child for weeks.
A little preparation goes a long way. Warm up before activities. Make sure equipment fits. Build in rest days. And if something does go wrong, do not wait to have it assessed.
Book a Pediatric Physiotherapy Assessment in Aurora
If your child gets injured over March Break, or if they have been dealing with nagging pain from sports or activity, our team at Gemini Health Group is here to help. We offer pediatric physiotherapy assessments and treatment in private 1-on-1 sessions with registered physiotherapists in Aurora who understand how to work with children of all ages.
Call us at (289) 234-8001 or book directly here. We offer direct billing to most major insurance providers. Remember, you do not need a doctor’s referral to see a physiotherapist in Ontario.
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📧 Email: info@geminihealthgroup.ca
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